Merging is difficult for most people, apparently. Remember that you’re part of a whole traffic flow, not just a single car against many others. Reader Grrrowler  has a few simple rules for merging.

Merging seems to flummox many people. There are a few very simple rules for merging:

1. It’s impossible to merge when going significantly faster or significantly slower than the traffic you’re merging with. Slowing down to 20 when traffic is doing 65 doesn’t make the merge safer. 

2. Two vehicles cannot occupy the same space on the road at the same time. If there’s a car next to you, you can’t merge there. You need to slow down or speed up. It’s not incumbent on the traffic in the travel lanes to make room for you (although it can be the polite thing to do).

3. A turn signal is an indicator of your wish to move to another lane, a request if you will. It is not a divine right to simply move into the next lane regardless of how it will affect other drivers. If you’re not sure what turn signals are or how to use them, then we have a whole other problem.

4. Once you’re on the freeway, speed up to move with existing traffic!  Just because you were doing 45 on the entrance ramp doesn’t mean you should do 45 on the freeway. If you want to travel at surface street speeds, then stay on the surface streets.

Suggested By: Thunder and Brian, The Life of, Photo Credit: Cliffski

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