So you’re cruising down the highway, when all of a sudden you’re in a traffic jam. But there are no accidents, construction, or other emergency activity, so why does this happen? TED-Ed explores the phenomenon known as a “phantom traffic jam,” what makes them happen, and how we might minimize their occurence.

Some of the most creative costumes are made from unusual materials. Take, for instance, this crazy armor that kitbash artist Kami Robo Yasui crafted from a 24 traffic cones. The red thermoplastic material is unlikely to protect him from weapons, but it should keep cars from running him over.

While crowdsourcing traffic data generally has improved the quality of navigation services, it’s also possible that the data could be manipulated. Berlin artist Simon Weckert shows how he was able to create non-existent traffic jams on Google Maps by walking through empty streets while pulling a wagon full of 99 cell phones.

As a statement on climate change, conceptual artist Leandro Erlich created a surreal scene right in the middle of Miami Beach. The installation, titled “Order of Importance,” featured 66 actual vehicles buried under sand to create a traffic jam.

Every day of the year, thousands of flights safely take to the skies around the globe. Focusing in on a popular route between London Heathrow and Frankfurt am Main airports, Wendover Productions explains the sheer complexity of coordinating the flight of a jumbo jet, as it moves between different air traffic control centers.

Half as Interesting explains the world’s worst traffic jam, which happened on China’s G110 highway in 2010 and lasted an incredible 12 days. Trucks carrying coal clogged up the road, then inexplicably, 5 days into the epic jam, planned maintenance work began on the road.

Do you hate waiting in traffic? The Hum Rider solves this problem by widening its wheels to ride between the lanes, then rising up about nine feet in the air to drive right over traffic jams. We want one, but sadly it’s just a promotional stunt for Verizon’s Hum car gadgets.

The always compelling CGP Grey looks at the behaviors underlying traffic patterns, such as city gridlock and highway traffic jams. He provides some simple things we can do to reduce the problem, but his ultimate fix would require a far more dramatic change.

There are many external factors that lead to heavy traffic, but one of the main reasons is human nature. AsapScience looks at behaviors we should adopt and how technology can curtail our bad driving habits.

Dutch city ‘s-Hertogenbosch aka Den Bosch employs traffic lights with contextual timing. Using sensors embedded in roads as well as data about public transportation, the lights can adjust to the current amount of automotive and bicycle traffic on the fly.

If you live in any major U.S. city, traffic is an everyday part of life. But any time you feel the road rage boiling over, just think about this video of a major traffic jam in Beijing, and you might feel just a little better about the slowdowns you encounter on a daily basis.

(NSFW: Language) Brock Baker apes Lauren O’Brien’s viral impression video. He got a lot of them right, though we wish he kept the customary Schwarzenegger bit shorter. Also was that Jack Black or Marshall Eriksen?

(NSFW: Language) There’s a good reason you never leave your video game unpaused while you leave the room. You might miss something like when YouTuber Naswas stepped away to fetch a snack while playing GTA V on his PS4.

Lauren O’Brien makes the most out of being stuck in traffic by impersonating celebrities. She nails Angelina Jolie’s look without any makeup or costume, mimics Taylor Swift without singing and mocks Kristen Stewart without talking.

For many pedestrians, the don’t walk sign is merely a suggestion. Carmaker Smart found a way to make people stop. It set up motion capture booths where people danced, and turned them into eye-catching signs. Making of here.

Let’s check in on the traffic to see how the roads look this morning… A nosy toucan decided to check out a traffic cam in São Paulo, Brazil, making what is usually as exciting as watching paint dry a bit more lively and entertaining.

Audi’s technology will tell you what speed to maintain so you’ll pass through the next traffic light when it’s green. It also counts down to the next green light if you’re already stopped at a red light. More here and here.

Cy Kuckenbacker continues his San Diego Studies series. This time he compressed and edited a four-minute shot of San Diego traffic, reorganizing the passing vehicles according to their color. More here.

Minute Earth talks about the possible reasons behind bidirectional traffic conventions, reminding us that we live by many conventions dictated by ideas that are long obsolete. If we can even remember them.

If you want a better – or more terrifying – look at what this guy got through, check out this time lapse video of the daily traffic in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam by photographer Rob Whitworth.

More than 150 supercars and exotic rides ended up in a bit of a jam as they headed out to the Wilton House Supercar Day. This is probably what an ordinary day in Monaco’s streets looks like.

A crosswalk sign in the city of Spokane, Washington has been spotted flipping the bird instead of just raising a hand. An official says that snow wedged in the sign might be the culprit.

Designed by Thanva Tivawong, the Sand Glass concept for traffic lights imitates an hourglass, providing an intuitive and less ambiguous way of indicating when the lights will change.