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.

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

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.

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.

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!

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

Grant holding on for his dear life while Kari drives is comedy gold.

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

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

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.

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

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.

Excepppptttt. Weaving helps to keep all the traffic slow.

The problem with this is, they were following the speed limit. You generally want to weave when you want to exceed the speed limit.

RIP GRANT THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING YOU DID

This is a good example of MythBuster's small sample sizes leading to conclusions that you can't be sure of. My guess is if you did this a lot more times and thus getting many different traffic patterns you would get some widely different results.

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

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

2:52 what a clean miata 😍

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.

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

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.

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.

RIP Grant 🙏

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

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??

Where's 981 has entered the chat

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)

RIP Grant we miss u bro

How many times I've seen the weaving asshat end up at the same light/stopped up traffic line as me ... maybe a car or two ahead? Enough to already know that in heavy, long term traffic, weaving isn't worth it. It only works if it's a short bit you can sneak by i.e. oblivious jackwagon doing fifty in the fast lane.

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.

Lane weaving is a subtle art. One must be able to read the flow of traffic correctly and avoid excessive, foolish weaving from left to right as soon as one lane seems to move more. It requires careful consideration to the flow and context of traffic. I constantly see people switching lanes as soon as one lane seems to go more than them, only to be stuck now in a slower lane, and switching back.

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

As a Brit this makes no sense to me. Our slow traffic stays on the left (Right if you're American) and you over take them on the right (left if you're American). It's also illegal to lane hog here so once you overtake you have to pull in to the first lane. If you picked one lane for your whole journey you'd end up stuck behind the first HGV you found and stay at 56mph till you came off! Then again I know some older drivers that would do that...

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.

Rest In Peace. Thanks for all your hard work. You’re a delight to watch.

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.

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

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!

I am so glad I remembered them testing this myth when I was little. It’s helped me a lot to be a good driver nowadays.

i actually did this on my own time whenever i drove but i think a major factor would be the familiarity of the road u take and even the acceleration of the car could make a huge difference in that one lane change that could make or break the flow of i weaving through traffic.

Not only unsafe also very annoying for anyone around you. Don't take this video as advice

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..

The missing consideration here is how the weaver actually changes driving behaviour for those who were holding up the entire line by making them go faster to try and keep the weaver from passing … this unclogs the line temporarily which lasts until the weaver is far enough ahead that the slow driver goes back to holding up the whole lane again.

In heavy traffic, those that stayed in their lane advanced. In light traffic, those that changed lanes were able to catch up. They performed a flawed test. The question on changing lanes is for traffic jams, not for just cruising in light traffic.

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.

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.

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.

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

The was one side to this myth that I've always thought was missed. If EVERYONE stayed in their lane or reduce lane changes by a significant amount, this would help prevent traffic jams and everyone would get there fast. As a group, I suspect, the throughput of traffic would go up.

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.

time is an illusion just relax and stick to a lane

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

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 also find it odd that the cars finished in sequential order

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

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

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

Rip Grant

RIP Grant

This is very well-edited!

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

And doesn't weaving slow down all the other cars that have to brake for you? I can imagine that if you have a 1000 cars that all weave vs 1000 cars that stay on lane, that the lane-stayers will be there much faster.

Grant. You will be missed. Thank you for inspiring me into science.

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

Amazing. I remember watching this on TV as a school kid.

The key is weaving at the right times. You need to be able to judge whether or not the lane you’re moving to has the momentum and if that momentum is gonna carry on. Sometimes the faster lane will be what’s the slower lane atm

In my experience, lane weaving, especially in moderate to heavy traffic is a of little value. However that does not mean that i don't occasionally switch lanes when appropriate. Most of the time the person that is changing lanes constantly only gains a couple of car lengths at most, and sometimes winds up behind me. Meanwhile I drive with a lot less stress. It appears that you ran this test on a freeway (101 ?). I think the stay in your lane is more likely to work well on surface streets.

The algo is doing its thing again. Still remember and talk about this episode. Miss you, Grant!

RIP Grant. I remember this episode. This was a great show

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

RIP to the brotha.

Thanks i needed the confirmation. I am gonaa start weaving from now on

I got passed/passed so many times by the same weavers on my way north through Delaware on 1/13/113. They got ahead after hours of work, but unsubstantially and I was a lot more chilled.

What's the cost to the general public? What's the cost of accidents and stress on the public? The extra fuel (and technically extra distance) expended? What about moderate lane changing?

RIP Grant.

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.

Thanks for proving this!!

My opinion is that the weaving works especially when you know the traffic pattern of the segment of the highway (e.g. this is your daily commute route), and you know which lane tends to have less traffic. As evident from the last experiment, there is a significant difference between different lanes. I think during this experiment, the weaver got lucky because most weavers tend to use the left lanes, and the left lanes were the fastest in that particular segment of the highway, but that's not always the case. If that highway happens to have less traffic in the right lanes and you are just randomly weaving, the advantage might be minimal or even make you slower.

A lot of this depends on the driver.... Anytime I drive in traffic I always gauge how fast I'm going relative to other cars on the road and I always try to anticipate what the traffic is going to do before changing lanes. So my approach is far more calculated and not nearly as stressful as Kari... However there are the nuts that constantly weave back and forth, cutting people off. They don't "think" they just "react" moving to which ever lane is moving slightly more. These are the drivers I always leave behind because they don't know WTF they are doing.

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.

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.

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

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.

I miss these three so much. This was the coolest show back in the day.

I would be much more interested how this compares in traffic jam situations. Especially as weaving there may have greater impacts on the cars behind you.

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)

Kari is so pretty.

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.

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.

When I see a weaving driver, I see an unorganized, cloudy headed, selfish person. Weaving slows traffic down. Other drivers react when they are being passed and when they observe a weaving driver. It's a selfish move just like staying in the ending lane right up to the last second and cutting in. Sure you get where you're going faster but everyone else has to slow down for you. Where are you going anyway? Is the few minutes you're going to get worth the risk to your life and other's? Get your self together and start leaving a few minutes earlier.

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.

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

Miss this show and the San Jose tech museum, that's one of the first field trips I recall from elementary school! Awesome times in the early 2000's 🤙🏽 miss you Grant! Rest easy for us 🕊️