Researchers studying phantom jams with 300 ultra-HD cameras in Nashville found they have an unexpected consequence

Researchers studying phantom jams with 300 ultra-HD cameras in Nashville found that they have an unexpected impact.

A stretch of Interstate 24 has become one of the most advanced traffic laboratories in the US.

Using artificial intelligence and hundreds of cameras, researchers are now able to track how every vehicle behaves in real time, especially in traffic.

What they discovered shows that phantom traffic jams have far more of an effect than just slowing drivers down.

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Researchers are studying phantom jams in a secret road laboratory

This group of researchers is using hundreds of cameras along one tiny bit of motorway in Nashville to test why phantom traffic jams form and the consequences of them.

The project, known as I-24 MOTION, is run by researchers at Vanderbilt University and focuses on a four mile section of the I-24 motorway in the Nashville Davidson County area.

Nearly 300 ultra-HD cameras line the length of the road, capturing detailed data on how vehicles accelerate, brake, and interact with one another on the road.

The system uses AI to convert video footage into precise vehicle movement data.

A professor from Vanderbilt University, Dan Work, described it as an MRI for traffic, giving researchers an unprecedented view of how congestion forms.

Instead of relying on averages or sensors buried in the road, the cameras show exactly how individual driving behaviors stack up across thousands of cars.

What the data shows is that phantom jams are entirely human-made and small actions like tapping the brakes or following too closely can trigger a ripple effect.

As that ripple moves backwards through traffic, it grows stronger, eventually causing a slowdown or even a stop that seems to appear for no reason at all.

An unexpected consequence of these jams

The most surprising finding is what happens after these phantom jams form.

Researchers discovered that many crashes on the I-24 are directly linked to traffic waves created by phantom jams.

Drivers often do not slow down quickly enough for a wave they cannot see ahead, leading to sudden rear-end collisions.

Those crashes then make traffic jams even worse, turning an invisible slowdown into hours of congestion.

Researchers say that if phantom jams could be eliminated, many of these crashes would disappear too, preventing the gridlock that follows.

Another side effect of these jams is the major fuel and emissions impact.

The stop-and-go driving caused by phantom jams leads to around 40 percent more fuel loss compared to smooth-flowing traffic, which means wasted fuel, higher emissions, and increased costs for drivers, even when no accident is present.

The research is now being used to shape next-generation smart cruise control systems.

By allowing vehicles to automatically smooth traffic flow, researchers hope future cars can reduce phantom jams before they form, making highways safer, cleaner, and far less frustrating.

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