question of the day is: DO you know how to merge?

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(priussoris @ Apr 18 2007, 01:18 PM) [snapback]425506[/snapback]</div>

Oh no!! That definately shouldn't be happening. I definately always look first but the thing I was guilty of when I was first learning how to drive was coming in slow and then stopping if I couldn't get in.

I was quickly weened off that habit and now whenever I see someone do that I see how bad it is.

Getting the speed up and doing the "zipper" (and looking first!) is so much better. While I believe you can get a ticket for not letting someone in (if you have the ability to), the cars already on the highway definately have the right-of-way.

Eric

 

was there room for you to get over? because if there was, it's an a-hole move to not have the common courtesy to move over. i find when going back to the midwest, when not in big cities, people tend to think they do own the whole road. it's also a stupid move on the other guy's part to not look where he's going and just expect that everyone is gonna get out of his way.

 

nobody knows how to merge. well, correction: everybody knows how to merge, but just doesn't give a damn so does not do it.

quick circumstance: you're on a two lane connector bridge that merges into one lane at the end of the bridge. you and the car 10' in front of you going 65 are in the thru lane, and there's a AAA towtruck in the right (ending) lane 40' behind you going 70-75 MPH. what's supposed to happen?

A.) tow truck slows and merges behind you two
B.) tow truck ignores the merging lane signs, continues with his faster speed and squeezes between you and the wall to get in front of you. Then gets pissed and makes "meshing" motions with his fingers, indicating that you're supposed to go 1-1 like a zipper when merging, after you have to hit the brakes and honk at him.
C.) tow truck floors it and squeezes between the car in front of you and the wall to get in the very front of the line.

(B.) is what happened to me.... AAA got a nasty phone call from me regarding driver of vehicle #294.

now my rant is over... <_<

[EDIT:]
no other cars on the road

 

Well, if traffic is light, then it's just a matter of speeding up or slowing down and sliding into a gap.

But, in dense traffic, where no one is willing to create a gap for you, then the trick is simply to line up your bumper with the back bumper of the car you want to get behind and then start drifting over. The driver who is determined not to let you in will yield, particularly if they are in a shiny or expensive car.

This works particularly well at slow speeds in dense traffic. It's a little trickier at high speeds.

Oh, and you absolutely can not look at the other driver as you do this.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Marlin @ Apr 18 2007, 02:38 PM) [snapback]425526[/snapback]</div>

I've got a road rage story from a trip down to CA a month ago. I was merging onto a 2 lane freeway and speeding up briskly to get up to speed. I saw a minivan on the far left lane and the right lane was open so I merged into that lane w/o a problem until that van pulls in front of me and brakes hard. He proceeds to drive 10mph under the speed limit so I decided to pass. I wasn't even angry just wondering why anyone would do something like that. I pass him up and notice he's saying something not nice and very angry. Which pissed me off so we follow each other up and down the highway till I finally gave up. Moral of the story: I think the right way to merge is to get up or down to the speed of traffic and merge as smoothly as possible. That doesn't mean there are asshats out there to mess w/you.

 

@Marlin: agreed.

Thats why I try as much as possible not to drive in the rightmost lane. If you are going 70 then the middle lane is fine.

 

Connecticut Merge:

Step 1: Accelerate up on-ramp, procede to merging lane
Step 2: Answer cell phone, decelerate to 50mph
Step 3: Turn left
Step 4: Turn right in order to become parallel with traffic
Step 5: Finish conversation; no rush.
Step 6: Floor the accelerator while crossing every lane of traffic until in the left lane.
Step 7: Find someone to flip off. They must deserve it.

 

But so does the guy driving in the right lane. You both have equal responsibility.

As far as merging two lanes into one: merge at the point where the one lane ends. That's where the zipper is supposed to be. Some states even make that into law.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jgills240 @ Apr 18 2007, 12:36 PM) [snapback]425523[/snapback]</div>

Maybe it's just me, but from your description I think you were in the wrong. Merging means just that. Just because you're tailgating someone in front of you doesn't mean the cars in the other lane are hosed. IMHO you should have opened up a gap to let him in.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(San_Carlos_Jeff @ Apr 18 2007, 01:31 PM) [snapback]425594[/snapback]</div>

I think you misred his post...the tow truck was 40 feet BEHIND them--and then sped up to pass the two cars before the lanes merged at the end of the bridge. No way should the truck have sped up to pass the two cars in such an unsafe manner (BTW it sounds like the truck had to go past the merge point in order to pass the two cars). Since the truck was behind them in the first place, there was no reason at all why he should have tried to get in front of either one of them.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(mcbrunnhilde @ Apr 18 2007, 02:59 PM) [snapback]425607[/snapback]</div>

According to the post the truck didn't speed up, it held it's speed (which was greater) and then merged over. We weren't there so it's hard to know what really happened.

I'm probably oversensitive to situations like this because I used to drive a delivery van and there were many times that people would purposely close up gaps on me, when trying to merge, because they didn't want to be behind a van. I quickly learned that a beat up van moving over into it's rightful spot will always have space created for it

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(chuck_k @ Apr 18 2007, 02:08 PM) [snapback]425581[/snapback]</div>

I agree and it's a problem if you slow early on to creep over long before your lane ends but it's a fine line. Particulary where there is a entry/exit combo lane and folks move right to accelerate past normal drivers in the thru lane. For those folks, the zipper at the end of their lane is broken in my book.

 

Heh. The proper way to merge is to hold your left elbow higher for
a more optimal angle of your cellphone earpiece and a blocked view
out the driver's window, and then veer leftward.
.
_H*

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(mcbrunnhilde @ Apr 18 2007, 04:59 PM) [snapback]425607[/snapback]</div>

alright, a little clarification. The truck did not speed up to pass me (at least not noticeably), but it was very obvious that it was going to be a tight fit and that I would have to brake in order to maintain safe distance. sure, you can say he was in the right, and for a split second I even thought he was, but then I thought how any considerate human would simply let his foot off the accelerator, get behind me, and slow down all of 5mph (without braking) no big deal. which is what I thought he was going to do until I noticed a giant red A staring at me thru my passenger window, which at that point put his passenger side wheels over the outside line towards the cement wall.
Maybe if he had been in a BMW MINI it wouldn't have been a problem.

isn't this fun!?

 

If you want a rant then I can give you one. This wasn't even on a highway either. I was in the right lane of a 3 lane road. It's stop and go traffic during rush hour, so it's bumper to bumper. Guy in some brand spanking new Cadillac or something in the lane next to me just decides to get over without signaling or anything and nearly sideswipes me. He's about 2 feet into my lane and stops, cause of traffic, and I honk, naturally, and instead of going back to his lane, HE KEEPS GETTING OVER. That's after I move up. So instead of getting my car hit I let the donkey in front of me, THEN HE WANTS TO YELL AND MAKE ANGRY GESTURES. I should have got out and given that guy a piece of my mind and I probably would have had I not been taking my girlfriend to work and had a friend with me. He would have been quite encouraging.

You wanna talk about bad then that's bad. BTW, San_Carlos_Jeff, you would hit me if you tried that. The Thru lane always has the right of way no matter what. It's not up to them to make a gap for you, and the law will always side with them. The laws for merging onto the highway very from state to state, but for the most part it's at least inconsiderate to be in the right lane when people are merging. It's up to the people getting on to merge properly though.

Ok, I think I'm done.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(brick @ Apr 18 2007, 04:38 PM) [snapback]425560[/snapback]</div>

That's AWESOME! Another CT driver I can relate to!

Usually, I try to get up to speed quickly, and then move quickly to (or stay in) the far right-hand side of the road...I like to maintain the speed limit, but not when it involves aggravating other drivers. (I found out that the Prius is capable of pushing you in the back of your seat. I wonder why so many people criticize its acceleration?)

My other favorite is when they act as though they're going to merge behind you and then decide to floor it to get in FRONT of you. I *love* that one.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ozyran @ Apr 18 2007, 09:22 PM) [snapback]425709[/snapback]</div>

Acceleration lanes? What are those? Here in Boston, we have lovely roads like the Riverway, where you have to come to a complete stop and then pedal like crazy and hope nobody's zooming over the overpass that ends right where you are. Even Rte. 128, which is allegedly a real highway, has some "acceleration" lanes that seem to be about 20 feet long (unless you absolutely have to, or you like a challenge, NEVER stop at the rest stop just past the Mass. Turnpike on 128 south).

And then there are all of our rotaries (where the rule seems to be: Whoever's car is worth less has the right of way).