# Oh, you goddamned rubberneckers. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 30, 2009, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-you-goddamned-rubberneckers/501446 "2009-06-30T04:21:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2009, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-you-goddamned-rubberneckers/501446/41 "2009-07-01T18:20:28Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > “rubbernecking” does indeed cause the slowdowns (and dead stops) you’re talking about – but, as others have tried to point out, it doesn’t mean that everyone, or even the majority of the people being held up are rubberneckers. All it takes is one idiot at the start of the line. Since nobody can go through hiim without causing a new accident, the next guy is held up, and so on down the line. And the tie-up won’t stop when that one jerk takes off – it takes time for these things to clear up, even with the best of drivers in all the other cars. That is certainly true. At the same time though, several have noted that the drivers at the front of the traffic jam often proceed very slowly, even though they aren’t constrained by anyone in front of them. For this reason, I think it would be naive to think that these problems are only due to a tiny handful of rubberneckers. A couple of rubberneckers might initially cause the problem, but it is often aggravated and perpetuated by a culture of rubbernecking. With regard to these people, **DB** says, “Your ‘as soon as it is safe to do so’ is most likely his ‘good looooooong look.’” Personally, I think that’s naive as well. When I compare this behavior to the way people accelerate under normal traffic conditions, I see a very marked difference indeed. The worst such example happened just a few weeks ago, when I was caught directly behind one such rubbernecker. How do I know that she was rubbernecking? Because when we finally made it past the accident site, I saw that there were no other vehicles on the highway in sight. In other words, all the other cars and trucks were long gone, yet she was still there, inching her way slowly. This goes far beyond merely waiting until it is safe to proceed! ---
**Author:** ![Pedro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/919ad9/32.png) [@Pedro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pedro)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2009, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-you-goddamned-rubberneckers/501446/42 "2009-07-01T19:28:23Z")
> [@Dead\_Badger](#): > > See, everybody? **Pedro** is special. Gold star for **Pedro**. I can’t tell if you are trying to mock me, but I’ll take it anyway. It’s about time too, after all I’ve done for the economy while I’m stuck in traffic. ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Badger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/848f3c/32.png) [@Dead\_Badger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Badger)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2009, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-you-goddamned-rubberneckers/501446/43 "2009-07-01T19:37:10Z")
No, that was sincerity. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2009, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-you-goddamned-rubberneckers/501446/44 "2009-07-01T19:38:52Z")
> [@](#): > > For this reason, I think it would be naive to think that these problems are only due to a tiny handful of rubberneckers. I don’t. > [@](#): > > A couple of rubberneckers might initially cause the problem, but it is often aggravated and perpetuated by a culture of rubbernecking. At worst,. I think that people who otherwise wouldn’t sl;ow down to look if they hadn’t been part of a long traffic holdup are curious about what has held them up so long. I don’t think there a “culture of rubbernecking” ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2009, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-you-goddamned-rubberneckers/501446/45 "2009-07-01T20:43:35Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > At worst,. I think that people who otherwise wouldn’t slow down to look if they hadn’t been part of a long traffic holdup are curious about what has held them up so long. I agree. This is part of the problem. Rubbernecking feeds on itself. “Gol-darn-it, Ethel, we’ve been creepin’ along for must be fifteen minutes now. Must be somethin’ right tragical at the front of this line–maybe a big ol’ fire, or maybe wild animals wandrin’ round like in that circus movie. Take a good long look, now, Ethel, y’hear?” But no, there’s nothing there except a broken-down beater with the hood up. Get a fucking move on! ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2009, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-you-goddamned-rubberneckers/501446/46 "2009-07-01T21:07:14Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > I don’t. You’re entitled to do so, but I would obviously disagree on that point. > [@](#): > > At worst,. I think that people who otherwise wouldn’t sl;ow down to look if they hadn’t been part of a long traffic holdup are curious about what has held them up so long. I don’t think there a “culture of rubbernecking” Oh, please. It’s not as though people only have a few moments in which to see what caused the delay. When there’s a long traffic holdup, people have PLENTY of time to take in the sights. Once they reach the end of the traffic jam, they have every opportunity in which to speed up… and yet very few do. You’re saying that people are simply curious about what caused the delay. I don’t fault them for being curious. Holding up traffic in order to satisfy this curiosity is another matter, especially when you’re no longer penned in by cars in front of you. Such behavior is all part of that “culture of rubbernecking” of which I spoke. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2009, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-you-goddamned-rubberneckers/501446/47 "2009-07-01T21:09:20Z")
> [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](#): > > But no, there’s nothing there except a broken-down beater with the hood up. Get a fucking move on! Right. It only takes a moment to see what caused the problem, and you have plenty of time to do that while waiting in traffic. Let’s not use this as an excuse for dragging one’s proverbial feet. Move it, people! ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2009, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-you-goddamned-rubberneckers/501446/48 "2009-07-01T21:46:49Z")
> [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](#): > > I agree. This is part of the problem. Rubbernecking feeds on itself. > > “Gol-darn-it, Ethel, we’ve been creepin’ along for must be fifteen minutes now. Must be somethin’ right tragical at the front of this line–maybe a big ol’ fire, or maybe wild animals wandrin’ round like in that circus movie. Take a good long look, now, Ethel, y’hear?” > > But no, there’s nothing there except a broken-down beater with the hood up. Get a fucking move on! My favorite is when traffic just picks up at some point, and there’s no visible cause at all. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2009, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-you-goddamned-rubberneckers/501446/49 "2009-07-01T22:01:10Z")
That can happen due to the traffic wave dynamics, **Ogre**. Or in theory, it could also happen because SOME people have a modicum of sense, and so they move snappily once the traffic in front of them clears. There aren’t enough of those people, unfortunately. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2009, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-you-goddamned-rubberneckers/501446/50 "2009-07-01T22:14:06Z")
Sigh. Folks, I know about traffic waves. I knew about them before I started this thread. Can’t a motherfucker rant in the Pit anymore? ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Badger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/848f3c/32.png) [@Dead\_Badger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Badger)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2009, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-you-goddamned-rubberneckers/501446/51 "2009-07-01T22:24:42Z")
When has a motherfucker ever been able to rant in the Pit without people picking his rant to pieces? That’s like the yin to the Pit’s yang, surely. ---
**Author:** ![buttonjockey308](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@buttonjockey308](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buttonjockey308)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2009, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-you-goddamned-rubberneckers/501446/52 "2009-07-01T22:30:28Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > This is it precisely, but it’s always more fun to blame people rather than physics. Nuts to your crazy talk, sawbones. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-you-goddamned-rubberneckers/501446.md?page=2)