Rubbernecking is a derogatory term primarily used to refer to bystanders staring at accidents. More generally, it can refer to anyone staring at something of everyday ...
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interest compulsively (especially tourists). The term rubbernecking derives from the neck´s appearance while trying to get a better view, that is, craning one´s neck.
Rubberneck is associated with morbid curiosity. It is often the cause of traffic jams, sometimes referred to as "gapers´ block" or "gapers´ delay", as drivers slow down to see what happened in a crash. Rubberneck is considered as of 2007 unconventional English or slang.