Which Is Faster: Weaving in Traffic or Staying in One Lane? | MythBusters 

I'm "that guy". Driving in heavy traffic, I'll pick my lane, stay in it, and drive as close to the average speed of traffic as possible - leaving a nice big gap in front of me. The difference in drive time was so small I was never able to accurately measure it; meanwhile, I was calmer, less stressed, and my fuel efficiency shot up.

To me the key is knowing what the traffic looks like on your commute. In my commute, I know when the right lane backs up, and then further down the road the two left lanes slow down with the right lane clear. When you know the patterns, you can make calculated, but minimal, lane changes. You get serious diminished returns with increasing your lane changes.

I feel like this is a perfect example of the prisoner's dilemma Because in any situation, on an individual level, you will always get to your destination faster by weaving. But as a collective, if everybody weaves, everybody overall will suffer (there is more time when one car is taking up space on two lanes). So everybody "defecting" is the worst overall outcome. Whereas nobody weaving (everybody cooperating) means everybody can zoom by in their singular lanes, resulting in the best overall outcome. Just a guess though

We never deserved any of the myth busters it was truly a blessing growing up as a kid watching new episodes Rip Grant 😢

It's been 8 years and I still think about this episode on a regular basis. It taught me that lane weeving is risky, stressful, and not worth it.

this myth for me has always applied to HEAVY traffic like your car is stationary in a traffic jam kinds of traffic, where someone who weaves to the lane that starts moving doesnt actually get an advantage from it

They should've had 3 drivers... one being short sighted and aggressive like Kari, one being very complacent like Tory, and one being relaxed like Tory *except* when another lane is obviously a better choice for a little while (i.e., dump truck in your original lane going slow), so lane changes are still allowed as long as they're infrequent and not aggressive. I expect the 3rd option would get there pretty much as quickly as Kari, but while being basically as relaxed as Tory.

I do a combination of both. I will be proactive and look down the road to see if it is worth the lane changes. I always beat constant lane changers with my method.

The thing is, weaving typically is the biggest contributor to cascading failure traffic aka Phantom Traffic Jam. One should choose lane according to the overtake needs, speed limit and traffic conditions (of course), but weaving just to be "the fast guy", just makes it progressively more difficult for everybody, "fast guy" included!

1:33 Grant looks SO stressed with her driving like a maniac

Eliminate weaving by keeping the hell out of the left lane unless you are passing.

The fastest lane you can only find by experience; from day to day, certain lanes will be consistently faster through one area, while in the next area a different lane will usually be the fastest. Really, just take the smartest route, and don't immediately jump into the next lane because it looks like it's faster. Also, in areas where you can look ahead a good distance, you can see which lane will be fastest in the immediate future.

Excepppptttt. Weaving helps to keep all the traffic slow.

rest in peace grant. you were a childhood legend of mine

if everybody 'd stay in their lane as much as possible ( off course some people want to exit or enter) the whole highway would move along faster.

I love when a weaver constantly gets stuck in a slow lane while I pass them by just sticking to one lane. And then I always wave and laugh.

This comes with a cost. More weavers = More crashes.

We Love You Grant!! Thanks for being a part of my childhood. Sad to see you leave us this soon

Definitely dependant on knowing the streets. sometimes you know on a specific road a LOT of people turn right at specific intersections so going into the left works and then the right lane is clear once you pass them, keeping an eye out for lanes with trucks ahead of you, and other things like that. I do a mix of changing lanes and just staying in place. in completely heavy or stopped traffic it doesnt seem to help as it gets very unpredictable (aside from knowing which lane you need to eventually be in and what lane most people want to be in)

First of all, there is weaving and there is recklessly being a jerk. If people are making dangerous lane changes and tailgating that is completely different than me passing you safely because you're going 10 under the speed limit. And why is weaving faster? Because there are a bunch of morons on the road that don't know how to drive... Move over if the person behind you wants to go faster - it's common sense/courtesy. Why do people assume it's some personal attack if I want to faster than you??

Something I think that they should have included was heart monitors to chart their stress levels.

Grant was a hero of mine as a kid when I watched this show, Rest In Peace mate, you have changed many lives.

I like to do the "this lane challenge." it involves picking a lane and staying in it until its time to turn. as someone who doesn't treat driving as a race or challenge, I can say that 9/10 times i will pass the people all over the road trying to pass everyone. its always mildy amusing, as you know they remeber the back of your car from before and it just bugs them so much to see it again lmao

2:52 what a clean miata 😍

For weaving to result in a faster ETA, it's required that you're a good driver. Weaving will work against someone who isn't adept in thinking ahead. Also, there is a time to weave and a time not to weave. In crawling traffic, for example, the chances of you gaining time are much less. Weaving into a clear lane to avoid stopping or slow moving cars and getting out from behind large vehicles at stop lights are when weaving will pay off. The pay off still isn't extraordinary. If you increase your average speed from 60mph to 70mph on a 60 mile trip, you only save 9 minutes.

RIP Grant. Truly one of the asset of the show.

I’m disappointed they didn’t do the obligatory cut across 5 lines in 50 ft not to miss the exit.Bad drivers never miss the exit.

RIP Grant we miss u bro

You guys should do in town and with traffic lights next time! A weaver can't go very fast if they're waiting at a red light allowing time for the lane-stayer to catch up! I see it in real life all the time!

Not the greatest example because the weaver is not allowed to gun it above speed limit when they find a big gap, which is unrealistic. On the highway the actual average mph is 70-80. NOBODY goes 55 mph, not even cops.

It also depends on how familiar you are with the roads. for example, I know a tunnel is coming up and people will have to merge from lane 3 to lane 2, so it's better to be in lane 1, but there's a certain point best to do it. in that case it's FOR SURE faster to be flexible.

RIP Grant 🙏

Weaving will get you there faster if you get there. Since it's not as safe, there's a chance you don't get there.

I literally stay in the exact same lane the whole way and I constantly see the same cars taking off ahead of me then a few minutes later I pass them when they are stopped in the other lane.

Where's 981 has entered the chat

I think weaving slows everybody behind you significantly, although that would probably be harder to test.

If it was just about time, then yes, I agree. But if you take into account time, stress levels, and fuel usage, too, then sticking to your lane wins out.

I think there's a major difference between "weaving," and "changing lanes because your stuck behind someone going 40 in a 60." Some asshat who constantly weaves to shave 0.5 seconds off their travel time is being dangerous and selfish, but there are legitimate times when switching lanes is necessary for speed reasons.

If one is not in a hurry, sometimes one can smooth out traffic jams. I remember a time when I was on a freeway that had construction in an area where reducing one lane left just one lane to go in that direction (the other way still had two lanes). A map app showed a near standstill in traffic well into the construction zone, and it was a small area of having a complete stop. But it had persisted for a long time. The traffic wasn't overly dense. So when I entered the construction zone, not only did I follow the posted construction speed limits, but I went a bit below it, knowing people couldn't pass me, and that it would allow more time than average for the traffic to unclog ahead. That's exactly what happened, and I sped up to the construction speed limit after passing that point. I didn't have to go too much below the posted limit, so it wasn't like I was going 10 mph or something. I may have dropped 5-10 mph from what was posted; I don't recall. But soon after I passed that point, the map showed smooth traffic; everything was green (actually, the green suggested to me that I didn't drop the speed too much). It's possible to use info about bad traffic ahead to smooth out the traffic, and thus allow people to get to their destinations faster. But it takes some intention. It can be done with more lanes, but some people are too eager to pass. They may even speed up, and then they hit the stops harder, and then they make things worse. Sometimes vehicles in multiple lanes have the same approach to smoothing out traffic flow. Sometimes it's intentional. Sometimes, it's because large trucks don't accelerate or stop as quickly. Traffic jams tend to get really bad when people have to hit their brakes. Others who over-react can make it worse, and eventually it becomes a standstill. By picking a speed close to the traffic's average, after allowing a bit of a gap to form in front of you, things smooth out, and it tends to improve rather quickly. When the sudden stops disappear, then it's just a matter of people gradually speeding up the flow.

Weaving makes more traffic by causing others to break, more people breaking means a traffic snake forms. Also, not weaving is less stressful.

I don't think they really consider that, given people who switch lanes typically exceed the speed limit until they approach an obstacle while those who stay in their lane will generally avoid doing excess speeds.

i dont know.. it just depends really.. ive had times where i weaved in an out of traffic and cut a 30 minute drive in half. then theres others where i get stuck behind a slow person and trapped in the lane and it took me over 45 minutes.. too many variables..

Was that 'traffic' to me that was an open road

Over a life span I'll take the less stress of picking a lane and just driving to good music.

I too lived in Houston for 20 years and spent 3 years of my life commuting. I love living in a small town now. Also, I would be interested to see how much additional gas is used for the weaver.

time is an illusion just relax and stick to a lane

There's a difference between staying in one lane, weaving, and switching between empty lanes normally. If you're switching between lanes in a safe manner, you'll reach the destination at near the same time as someone who is dangerously weaving in and out of traffic. I think that's the most important bit

An interesting consideration to have for this is if the lane number changes things. The lanes on the right have more ppl slowing down to enter/exit the highway. So as long as you in the lane furthest left your time will only be marginally longer.

Rip Grant

I also find it odd that the cars finished in sequential order

They really need someone who is actually good at weaving through traffic.

RIP Grant

I really I depends who is driving, if you know the area and how traffic flows and if you just are a better driver and can pick the right lanes and speeds you definitely will smoke anyone staying in the same lane

My dad was a professional Greyhound bus driver. With him, safety always came first - something most drivers say, but few actually practice. He used to say that if you were late, stay that way. Aggressive driving comes at a cost - tickets, accidents, higher insurance, etc. And, sooner or later, you're going to hurt of kill someone - do you want to have to live with that for the rest of your life??? Back off, slow down, be careful. The few seconds you save by driving aggressively isn't worth it. Weaving is NEVER safe. Carefully executed lane changes while keeping your distance from traffic in front of you is NOT weaving.

i usually weave if theres a big enough opening to where i feel safe enough to do so. if another lane is obviously moving faster, i will keep an eye out for a safe opening. if its bumper-to-bumper traffic, though, i usually stay put as its safer

I grew up watching this show… I’m grateful I get to watch it now as an adult many years later ☮️

I agree weaving will get you there faster. I prefer the fast lane when driving, and I must admit, I do significantly over the speed limit. But, unless I have driven behind a pokey in the fast lane for some time, and determined that they don't plan to move over, I do not weave. I drive a lot on the interstate, and I have seen people do things that could get them, and those around them killed. Once I decide I am going to have to go around a fast lane pokey, I start studying the cars around me, to make sure nobody is in my blind spot. Then I signal to move over, and ease into the slower lane. I complete my pass, and ease back into the fast lane. At which point, pokey realizes that he's hogging the fast lane, and moves over. (unless he's just a jerk, who doesn't understand how the interstate works)

Weaving will get you to destination faster by few minutes or never get to the destination if accident happens.. Lolx..

How about looking at someone who can read traffic patterns. That's where you make up time, and I believe your scenario is of two extreme driving patterns, neither are efficient.

RIP GRANT, nobody wants to go but a brain aneurysm in your sleep is probably the best way to go when its your time. thanks for all the fun you guys gave me. i started watching the show when it started and then you guys got introduced to do the side myths and it was always like two shows in one.

*It's not about speed, it's about emotional gratification & a feeling of accomplishment*

I have watched people zip by me and weave traffic, then I see them in an accident about five miles later. Just go with the flow. If you need to change lanes for some reason - like to exit or the road is splitting and you need to go a certain way, then change lanes.

Unless you’re in some kind of insane hurry, I think that the risk and extremely high stress of this kind of driving is just not worth the small reward. That being said, thanks for doing this test, MythBusters!

The 1-3 minutes is not worth the stress and increased likelihood of an accident.

This matters extremely less on the freeway. The whole point of beating traffic is getting into the next “wave” of traffic on the surface streets. If you miss a light because someone in front of you brakes at the yellow, you have potentially lost a few minutes waiting, because now not only are you waiting at that light, you might also have to wait at the next light. You know how sometimes all the lights are red? But if you move lanes to get past the person who stopped at the yellow, you’ve now beat that wave of traffic and you’re into the next one. You’re now potentially shaving off a few minutes, especially if you’ve made it into the golden wave where all the lights are green for you. It’s up to you to decide how important those few minutes saved/lost are, but when you’re running late to work or something, it absolutely matters and those few minutes matter a lot

Kari is so pretty.

Though conclusive, this won't change anyone's mind.

another thing to note is, half the time lanes will move faster if no one weaves cause if you cut someone off and they have to brake that makes the whole lane slow down, especially on interstates where there's only 2 lanes.

For me I usually stick to the exit lane right after the off ramp, then weave out of it whenever there's an incoming on ramp, this has worked quite well in where I live, can't say for other area

People who drive the same road over and over can learn where the bad feed-ins are and do better by changing lanes. There are a couple of things that come into this: 1.) shifting right is harder than moving left so cars tend to get trapped to the left. In generalized random slow-downs this can make the right faster. 2) But there are spots where there are heavy feed-ins, usually from the right. The right will be faster from people avoiding it but then slow a lot at the right as the feed backs up. 3) as people feed-in and move left after the merge, the right will speed up and the left will slow. This process repeats at every heavy merge. 4) California is famous for people retiring to the left lane, that is, anxious drivers go the left most lane and drive slowly there. Other states that enforce the stay right laws more don't see this as much and the slow lanes will be more towards the middle. That's my theory and I'm sticking to it.

Since when doing one test (or two) has got any significance on such a probabilistic problem? That's one big problem with almost all mythbuster episodes.

Yes! Weavers Win! As a habitual weaver this is heartwarming.

If you know the highway that you are using regularly, the fastest way is to know which lane moves the fastest at different points on the highway. Because merging highways and exits change the speed of some lanes more than others. Weaving just gives everyone else a pain.

This was sticking in one lane for a whole journey so I think it’s a bit of an unfair test as it wasn’t just through a heavy traffic area. Over here in the UK we overtake and things but once in traffic (which is slower than the roads you guys showed) I believe keeping in one lane is safer and more consistent which means faster. A few years ago I was following a Ford Fiesta on the M25 in traffic and a Honda Jazz indicated and jumped lanes colliding with and flipping the Fiesta onto its side, this caused more traffic as the police and fire brigade had to close the road. I believe keeping a lane in traffic is safer and better and more consistent which is better for your brakes and fuel economy.

One thing that works here in the UK in the summer when there's so much traffic you only move about a hundred meters a minute is to take the exits that come but go back onto the motorway with the roundabout, save about 5 minutes every roundabout and there's at least 10 of them every hundred miles.

As a truck driver, I cant effectively weave but being high up I can see what traffic upstream is doing and positioning in the correct lane can save a lot of time. If you can identify why traffic is slowing, as in a right lane exit that everyone in the left lane wants to take. It's not a good strat to stay in the right lane if you are not taking that exit.

RIP Grant! Only the good go young. We miss you, buddy!

The faster option is always the option you don’t pick. I’ve tested this myself my whole life.

This is a fucking ludicrous conclusion! When you are weaving you are more prone to cause those behind you to be forced to break.This is what leads to congestion. If you are a selfish moron in traffic, then I guess you will save 5 minutes. But next time you are stuck in congestion, remember that your driving is part of what caused it. As always, the Mythbusters are fucking terrible at car myths. I have never seen them do one right. Not just the B team, the A team hasn't done one proper either.

snow covered roads put the weavers in the ditch, then less traffic & problem solved.

Rip grant 😢

I used to be a lane weaver. It might shave 5-10 minutes off your total trip time, but the mental stress, plus cumulative vehicle wear & tear, aren't worth it.

The man in that small mitsubishi mirage is holding on to his dear life

My old man always taught me this when I was learning to drive: As soon as you go through or turn at an intersection, get into the lane you need need to be in for the next intersection as soon as possible. That way, you're not making last-minute lane changes and it also encourages planning your route ahead of time.

Man. I was in high school during the height of this show. Brings me a lot of great memories. RIP Grant.

Grant, the Asian looking guy has passed away. Rip

On your daily commute it’s easy to learn the patterns of what lanes move faster at which locations. It’s amazing how these NPCs run the same program day in and day out.

I mean, i already have anxiety about changing lanes, so understanding that weaving through traffic barely makes you faster helps out quite a bit

in my personal experience it literally comes down to luck sometimes i will stay in my lane and then happen to overtake the weaving dude who when passed me 5 minutes ago sometimes i will weave and leave people far behind

When one car leaves a lane it opens a spot, causing the lane they entered to be more full and the lane they left to be more empty. Coincide that with thousands of cars and miles of traffic, and lanes start and stop because of weavers. You go in, someone see's that spot, he takes the spot you left; someone else see's his spot open he takes it, someone see's that spot, they take it. What happens? Nobody goes anywhere because it's a back and forth of everyone getting in each others way. If everyone (key word there, *everyone*) stayed in their lane, traffic would move tremendously smoother.

I know which lane I want for each part of the commute and I'll usually stick with it until it's time to move, mostly surface streets. On the freeway, there's the enter/exit only lane, the zipper lane for getting on and off, and I'm usually the next lane after that until 1 exit before mine. If traffic looks backed up ahead, I'll fall back even further from where I usually follow so braking doesn't cause a ripple effect to further back up traffic behind me. If at all possible, I'll coast instead of brake.

There is a huge problem with Lane weaving I am a truck driver and believe me Lane weaving is the problem you get in front of us in your car and cut us off therefore we have to hit the brakes to create more following distance which slows everybody else down Lane weavers are a danger to everyone on the road and we always have to be watchful for them which intern causes everyone to have to drive slow if every single person driving down the road was in the lane that they were supposed to be in appropriate to what their intentions are weather that be to travel through the city in which they are in or to exit and if they drove at the speed limit for the safest speed for road conditions then everyone would move a whole lot faster Lane weavers are the reason why everything takes longer however Grandma who can barely see over the steering wheel is not Innocent either.

Moral to the story is everything in moderation. Don't get stuck behind a slow car, but don't stress yourself out about being in the fastest lane.

This proves risking an accident isn't worth saving a few minutes

I've been doing one lane and every time I see a Weaver, I always see that car 30 minutes later stuck in traffic with me for the remaining 30 minutes until I exit the freeway.

What must the insurance requirements be for this? Imagine hitting someone while filming. Can’t imagine what that would cost.

I don’t lane weave, and I often see cars that pull risky manoeuvres and weave constantly… usually end up right next to me at the same red traffic light. Weaving may shave a few seconds or a minute off your time, but unnecessary lane changes are a HUGE contributor to road accidents. I have a feeling that the people who weave in and out of lanes are often the super impatient types who often feel they HAVE to, because they can’t stand just waiting. It’s a personality issue. Many of them probably know that it barely makes a difference, but if they have to stay still for any length of time, it makes them agitated.

Miss you Grant, love you guys.

I've employed both methods of commuting over a long period of time, and my findings are similar to those presented here. As I've gotten older, I find that the added stress just isn't worth it. I simply leave myself ample time to get to my destination, drive hyper defensively, and don't sweat the drive (much).

RIP Grant! Here in 2024.