^Trivia: Congested traffic, traffic jams, etc ALWAYS occurs when
  the density of cars reaches 40 vehicles per mile. Why?

  No matter how smoothly traffic is flowing, once it reaches 40
  cars per mile and beyond, the little speed up/slow down that
  everybody does when driving quickly add up at the front of the
  line, causing a temporary mini jam. That leads to a minijam
  behind it as the 1st bunching of cars clears up, and so on like
  a catepiller moving down the line.^