(Thisetymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at theEtymology scriptorium.) Here,flow is used in the sense of "direction of movement."
gowiththeflowoftraffic (third-person singular simple presentgoes with the flow of traffic,present participlegoing with the flow of traffic,simple pastwent with the flow of traffic,past participlegone with the flow of traffic)
- (idiomatic) Todrive avehicle at approximately thespeed of other vehicles on the road, irrespective of thespeed limit.
2017, Stefan Gossling,The Psychology of the Car: Automobile Admiration, page160:I was justgoing with the flow of traffic, and I just happened to look down and I was going a little bit faster than the speed limit.
2017, J. R. Bouchard,The Plan, page281:"You don't have to do this, guy" yelled the passenger as he sat there fidgeting in his chair, "we are only trying togo with the flow of traffic, you know?"
- (idiomatic) Todrive so as toblend in with traffic.
2015, Greg Hogben,My Daughter's Army, page67:I had to get Sera off it as soon as I could, and the fastest way to do that was togo with the flow of traffic heading toward Brooklyn.
2013, Quentin Bates,Chilled to the Bone: An Icelandic Thriller, page19:She decided togo with the flow of traffic and let it take her through the city and out the other side, with a stop at one of the big supermarkets at the busiest time of the day to shop for the week's groceries en route.
