Forget congestion pricing. Forget any new Proposition 1-like tax measures.

We just need to brake earlier - and softer - to curb traffic congestion. At least, our inattentiveness as drivers is the big problem behind most traffic back-ups. So says this research by three European universities, reported by a website I've never heard of - physorg.com - which shows "that overreaction of a single driver can have enormous impact on the rest of the traffic, leading to massive delays."

For example, if a driver indicates a lane change, and another driver fails to notice and has to overcompensate by stomping on the brakes, a ripple effect occurs miles back as more drivers brake, and crawl and stall because of that one driver's brain freeze. It can lead to massive back-ups, leaving drivers far back from the problem baffled as to why traffic suddenly stopped. The effect is what researchers at the universities of Exeter, Bristol and Budapest call the "backward travelling wave."

To be sure, the researchers note that high volumes of traffic and little capacity both conspire to tie up drivers. But they argue the main issue "is around the smoothness of traffic flow" and that "heavy traffic will not automatically lead to congestion but can be smooth-flowing."

I'm pretty sure we're not going to solve the problem by educating everyone on how to drive more attentively. I'm afraid the train's left the station on that one, folks. But the researchers aren't giving up on another idea, and maybe heavily populated and well-traveled Puget Sound should take heed:

"The research team now plans to develop a model for cars equipped with new electronic devices, which could cut down on over-braking as a result of slow reactions."

That's cool. But just for old time's sake, I'll relay a bit of advice from one of the researchers, a Dr. Orosz, who says: "When you tap your brake, the traffic may come to a full stand-still several miles behind you. It really matters how hard you brake - a slight braking from a driver who has identified a problem early will allow the traffic flow to remain smooth. Heavier braking, usually caused by a driver reacting late to a problem, can affect traffic flow for many miles."

Class dismissed.