{
  "id": 5224460,
  "title": "Phantom traffic jams: Why UAE roads can grind to a halt without an accident",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/03/phantom-traffic-jams-why-uae-roads-can-grind-to-a-halt-without-an",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-03T02:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Gulf News",
    "slug": "gulf-news",
    "url": "https://gulfnews.com/living-in-uae/transport/why-phantom-traffic-jams-happen-uae-1.500661168"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Dubai's highways can experience sudden slowdowns or complete stops without any accidents or roadwork causing the issue. These incidents are known as phantom traffic jams, which occur due to small changes in drivers' behavior. A driver braking lightly, leaving insufficient space, or reacting to a brake light from the vehicle ahead can initiate a chain reaction that spreads throughout the traffic. This phenomenon is more likely to happen when roads are congested, with little room for small changes in speed. A 2025 study found that 91% of Dubai residents and 90% of Sharjah residents frequently encounter traffic jams, while Dubai recorded 3.5 million cars in 2024, a 10% increase from the previous year. Even when there are no obvious causes, phantom jams can still form. A 2008 experiment in Japan demonstrated this when drivers traveled around a circular track at a constant 30km/h while maintaining safe distances, resulting in a traffic jam within a minute. UAE roads may also face phantom jams due to drivers failing to leave enough space between their vehicles. Experts recommend maintaining a safe following distance of at least three seconds to prevent such jams.",
  "summary": "Dubai: You are driving along a busy UAE highway when traffic suddenly slows to a crawl. There is no accident ahead. No broken-down vehicle is blocking a lane. No roadworks are causing a bottleneck. So why has traffic suddenly stopped? The answer could be a phantom traffic jam. “This is known as phantom traffic , which is a sudden slowdown or stop on a road that happens without any obvious cause…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}