gapers' block

See also: gapers block

English

Alternative forms

• gapers block

Noun

gapers' block (plural gapers' blocks)

1. (chiefly US and Canada, idiomatic) A traffic jam resulting from motorists slowing to look at a motor vehicle collision or other roadside distraction.
   • 1967 March 10, “Above It All”, in Time:

     In the lingo of the traffic reporters, "gapers' block" is a tie-up caused by motorists slowing down to gape at an accident.

   • 2001, "Rocky Road Rocky Mountain National Park boasts as ear-popping drive full of peak experiences," Wichita Eagle (Kansas), 25 Mar., p. 1G:

     In the pretty, tranquil valley, elk were feeding just off the highway, creating a gapers block.

Usage notes

• This term is especially common in the Chicago vicinity.

Synonyms

• gawkers' block
• gawker blocker

Translations

traffic jam resulting from motorists slowing to look at a motor vehicle collision or other roadside distraction

• Dutch: kijkfile (nl) f
• Spanish: efecto mirón (es) m
• Swedish: tittkö c

See also

• rubbernecking
• train wreck