Do you change lanes in a traffic jam? Find out if it's really faster according to experts

THERE'S nothing more frustrating that sitting in slow-moving traffic.

And with the festive season now upon us, Brits can expect to find themselves in even more gridlock right around the country.

In a bid to try to beat the traffic, many of us will try our luck jumping in and out of lanes, desperately trying to find the fastest route through the chaos.

But does weaving through traffic actually get you to your destination faster?

A number of studies have found that in fact, remaining in the same lane will see you arrive at the same time as those who dodge through traffic - and it'll be significantly less stressful.

A study by University of Toronto researchers Dr Donald Redelmeier and Dr Robert Tibshirani found cars that continually changed lanes would actually spend more time being passed by other vehicles than they would overtaking them.

This is due to an illusion created by the spacing between cars on the motorway.

The study found that "slow cars clump together, while fast cars spread out", meaning a driver could pass 10 cars all at once, then move into the "slow" lane and only watch eight cars driving past them.

But because those eight cars are driving faster and pass at longer intervals, the lane appears to be moving quicker, so the driver will switch back to the "fast" lane.

Frustration then takes its toll as the perceived fast lane clumps up and the already overtaken cars catch up with the driver in the other lane.

On top of the wasted time and increased level of stress that comes with weaving through traffic, drivers that dodge through lanes are actually putting themselves and others at risk.

The act makes the driver vulnerable to two lanes of traffic at once, drastically increasing their chance of causing or being involved in an accident.

Neil Greig, director of policy and research at IAM RoadSmart, said: “Lane changing causes braking and ‘phantom’ congestion that ultimately means that no one gets where they want to be going any quicker.

"If you can leave a safe gap and keep looking well ahead then your journey will be much smoother and safer.

"Drivers need to stop thinking in isolation as if they are the only people on the road and start thinking about how they can all work together to keep the traffic flowing.”

Driving laws and myths: the rules you need to know

Even MythBusters tackled the idea, and found that both weavers and lane-stayers would arrive at virtually the same time, however the weaver acted as more of a hazard to other drivers.

So next time you find yourself in bumper-to-bumper traffic, think twice before you pull into the "fast" lane next to you.

Earlier this year, we reported on another traffic myth, that found merging with traffic at the last-minute when a lane is closed was actually the RIGHT thing to do, despite how annoying it is for others motorists.

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