How does the habit of not letting others merge worsen traffic jams?

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Not letting others merge worsens traffic jams by compounding the bottleneck

When drivers refuse to let another car cut in during rain and slow-moving traffic, it can turn a simple merge into a direct standoff. The result is a “battle of car bumpers” that escalates with horns and emotions until one driver finally gets to move ahead, which takes time. Instead of one car letting the other go first, the conflict “compounds the bottleneck,” making the overall jam heavier.
Merging conflicts trigger direct car-to-car standoffs
In urban Kuala Lumpur traffic crawls, the habit shows up when a driver signals to move in front and another driver responds by trying to block the move. The described outcome is a lateral confrontation—“battle of car bumpers” and a “non-Hollywood lateral version of chicken”—rather than a smooth merge. This kind of interaction wastes the short gaps that would otherwise allow traffic to keep flowing.
The standoff delays movement for both cars
The process does not end quickly; it involves ego escalation and horn-blaring, continuing until the “victor” car gets its way. Even the text’s framing points to a pause measured in seconds of satisfaction rather than continuous progress. In practical terms, both vehicles lose the opportunity to advance at the time the merge should have been completed.
Multiple conflicts across the city add up during long rainy periods
The explanation is explicit that this is the worst version of “automobile game theory” because it multiplies the delay created by one interaction. When such behaviour is repeated “throughout the city,” and rain does not stop for hours, roads can end up looking like “open parking lots.” The traffic jam becomes more severe because each refusal to merge adds another small blockage that accumulates.
The key mechanism is that it replaces one release with a compounded slowdown
The core causal point is that when two cars do battle, the situation is not handled like one car simply letting the other go first. Instead, the conflict compounds the bottleneck, meaning the congestion point becomes worse rather than being resolved. That is why the habit of not letting others merge turns routine traffic into a longer, thicker backup.

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How does the habit of not letting others merge worsen traffic jams?

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