Editing Traffic (section)

{{other uses}}
{{short description|Movement of vehicles and pedestrians along land routes}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{More citations needed|date=June 2012}}
{{Original research|date=May 2024}}
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{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2018}}
[[File:Crossing the Hudson River on the George Washington Bridge from Fort Lee, New Jersey to Manhattan, New York (7237796950).jpg|thumb|300px|Crossing from [[Fort Lee, New Jersey|Fort Lee]], [[Bergen County]], [[New Jersey]], into [[Manhattan]], [[New York (state)|New York]] in heavy automobile traffic on the [[George Washington Bridge]], the world's busiest motor vehicle bridge, transporting approximately 300,000 cars and trucks daily across the [[Hudson River]].]]

'''Traffic''' is the movement of [[vehicle]]s and [[pedestrian]]s along land routes. 

'''Traffic laws''' govern and regulate traffic, while '''rules of the road''' include traffic laws and [[Norm (sociology)|informal rules]] that may have developed over time to facilitate the orderly and timely flow of traffic.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/traffic|title=Traffic definition and meaning {{!}} Collins English Dictionary|website=www.collinsdictionary.com|language=en|access-date=2020-01-03}}</ref> Organized traffic generally has well-established priorities, lanes, right-of-way, and traffic control at [[intersection (road)|intersection]]s. ([[International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea]] govern the oceans and influence some laws for navigating domestic waters.)

Traffic is formally organized in many jurisdictions, with marked [[lane]]s, [[Junction (traffic)|junction]]s, [[Intersection (road)|intersections]], [[interchange (road)|interchange]]s, [[traffic signal]]s, [[Traffic cone|cones]], or [[traffic sign|sign]]s. Traffic is often classified by type: heavy [[motor vehicle]] (e.g., [[car]], [[truck]]), other vehicle (e.g., [[moped]], [[bicycle]]), and [[pedestrian]]. Different classes may share [[speed limit]]s and easement, or may be segregated. Some jurisdictions may have very detailed and complex rules of the road while others rely more on drivers' common sense and willingness to cooperate.

Organization typically produces a better combination of [[travel safety]] and efficiency. Events which disrupt the flow and may cause traffic to degenerate into a disorganized mess include [[road construction]], [[car accident|collisions]], and [[debris in the roadway]]. On particularly busy freeways, a minor disruption may persist in a phenomenon known as [[traffic wave]]s. A complete breakdown of organization may result in [[traffic congestion]] and [[gridlock]]. Simulations of organized traffic frequently involve [[queuing theory]], [[stochastic process]]es and equations of [[mathematical physics]] applied to [[traffic flow]].