Does anyone else notice that other drivers do not know how to merge onto a highway? I can't seem to drive one day on a 4 lane highway without having to slam on the brakes to let someone on, or watch them practically sideswipe me cause they don't look. Learn to merge with traffic, not disrupt it. GRRRR!!!! :mad:

The little beercan cars tend to do that. never a case of backing up traffic for people slowing down to let them unto the freeway. You should see the line back up they cause when trying trying to climb a overpass.

It isn't much of a problem here. We have only 2 roads in the entire State that have merge lanes.

If you see cars coming to merge ,if it is safe, shouldn't you be moving over anyway?

Merge doesn't seem to be in anyone's vocabulary around here. Especially when you see a sign that says Lane Ends 1500 feet :sad:

If you see cars coming to merge ,if it is safe, shouldn't you be moving over anyway?

Nope. It's the responsibility of the party entering the right of way to match the speed of existing traffic. That's why that lane is called the acceleration lane. I actually have a 1962 16mm sound film that teaches the correct method of entering a superhighway, a film necessary at the time due to the relative newness of super highways. One should not have to slow down or move over to "make room" for vehicles entering the lane. Some people just can't figure it out. :sad:

If you see cars coming to merge ,if it is safe, shouldn't you be moving over anyway?

In California it is taught in drivers training to drive in the center lane (on a three lane highway) when driving through busy sections of the higway to allow the right hand lane for merging and exiting traffic. As a matter of fact, specifically, entering Modesto California on North bound and south bound State route 99, it says "through traffic and trucks left two lanes".

So even though it is their duty/responsibility to make sure they merge matching the traffic, the traffic on the road should be moving over when approaching an on ramp.

However... I know what you mean because there are times when on a two lane highway people do not pay attention. It is a two way street, if you are approaching an ramp you should/need to watch traffic entering and exiting the road way. There are alot of OLD on ramps that have less than 100yrds to merge.

Does anyone else notice that other drivers do not know how to merge onto a highway? I can't seem to drive one day on a 4 lane highway without having to slam on the brakes to let someone on, or watch them practically sideswipe me cause they don't look. Learn to merge with traffic, not disrupt it. GRRRR!!!! :mad:

I despise it when THEY have a Yield sign, don't stop when traffic is going by at 65+ mph and you have no where to go if you're stuck in the far right lane.

I like to hit the on-ramps at about 90.:cool::D

Around here. Its just common courtesy to move over a lane if its clear to allow the vehicle(s) to merge onto the freeway. Most people are already up at freeway speeds when they get to the end of the ramp anyways. Not merging over is one of the most common causes for road rage.

The state patrol also encourages it.

Just about nailed a guy yesterday, he didn't look when entering the highway, but he did when I laid on the horn when I was 2 ft. behind him.
I was towing a 26 ft. travel trailer & being passed so I didn't have any where to go.

Poor merging is probably the largest contributor to traffic in my area. I love when instead of merging or because of a yield sign people will just come to a complete stop. I wish I could immediately remove their liscense and never let them drive again. :mad:

Around here. Its just common courtesy to move over a lane if its clear to allow the vehicle(s) to merge onto the freeway. Most people are already up at freeway speeds when they get to the end of the ramp anyways. Not merging over is one of the most common causes for road rage.

The state patrol also encourages it.
yeah, but we are MN nice.. drive in Fargo sometime. i've been in some thick traffic down on 394 by Ridgedale mall in St Louis Park- the section from there to downtown Minneapolis used to be the most congested road in MN- and not had a problem at all with traffic, but Fargo sucks even when there is light traffic.

I move over, if I can, as a courtesy. But most of the time I can't. I usually do 70 in a 65 and the other lane is people passing me at 80, so nowhere to go when someone enter the highway at 50. The little beer cans have no excuse on a downhill on ramp, which is mostly what we have around here. Oh well, enough with my rant. Wisconsin is voted as one of the worst places to drive, now I know why.

I move over if I see them looking, using their signal and speeding up to match traffic. If they are not paying attention, on their cell phone, putting on make up, holding a dog in their lap, I just sit there in the slow lane and let them deal with slamming on the brakes at the end of the ramp.

If they want to run into my 1 ton box van, it's their loss. They can't hurt it.

I'll second that there's a lot of dumb drivers around Western Washington who don't know how to get to freeway speed while merging. You would think(especially in Brett's area) that a BMW 5 series(or any other newer vehicle) could get up to 60 MPH by the time they need to merge:noway:. I enjoy the looks in the mirror, the one-finger wave, and general disgusting looks I get when people get pissed I didn't move over while THEY are merging. It is not my responsibility to move, slow down, speed up or in any way change the way I am driving....they are entering a freeway I am already on. Truck drivers get it even worse around here(no, I am not one).

i try and give them a break when entering, some cars (like my 4.8 truck) just dont have the power to get up to a 65 limit (or more if the guy in the right lane is going faster)
i will move over to the center lane if clear, but if pulling the car on the trailer, if im merging, i need big time help getting on, lol

Almost every day coming home from work I come to an off ramp where people who are on their phones, just blow through the yeild signs. I don't move for them. I just assume they go off the road. Teach them a lesson. I've had many people slam on their brakes on me at the last second about two inches from the side of my truck. It's fun to watch :)

Lots of quirky driving "trends" out there.

My favorite is when someone in the center lane is doing the speed limit, a pack of NASCAR drivers, who have been occupying the center and left lanes, show up, then begin slipping into the pass lane...

and the whole time there is not a single vehicle in the far right lane.

So much for "SLOWER TRAFFIC KEEP RIGHT" signs.

Just about nailed a guy yesterday, he didn't look when entering the highway, but he did when I laid on the horn when I was 2 ft. behind him.
I was towing a 26 ft. travel trailer & being passed so I didn't have any where to go.

I used to pull a 30' 5th wheel for camping, my whole family has 5th wheels, and when my dad taught us freeway driving first thing he said was assume no one else knows how to drive around big vehicles. We were never allowed to drive in the right hand lane unless we were on open road. ANY time we were in an urban area, middle lane unless it was a two lane, but wayyy before the onramp section we moved over unless prevented, we never were allowed to wait till the last second. My dad said it is your duty to drive defensively not offensively.

Poor merging is probably the largest contributor to traffic in my area. I love when instead of merging or because of a yield sign people will just come to a complete stop. I wish I could immediately remove their liscense and never let them drive again. :mad:



Upon entering a roadway and you come upon a YIELD sign and if NO traffic is coming, you may proceed, however, if traffic is going by you must STOP. Either way, a Yield sign indicates to slow down or "yield" right a way to the other driver/s.

Does anyone else notice that other drivers do not know how to merge onto a highway? I can't seem to drive one day on a 4 lane highway without having to slam on the brakes to let someone on, or watch them practically sideswipe me cause they don't look. Learn to merge with traffic, not disrupt it. GRRRR!!!! :mad:

Last weekend we were trailering my buddies car with a borrowed truck ('91 Ford F250? 4X4)... It was a dog... There were AT LEAST 3 times when that happed to us... The people were merging, and obviously in front of us (but close), and going about the same speed or faster than us, when they actually slowed down to merge (maybe they were worreid we were going to run them over)...

2 of the drivers actually looked surprised when they tried to get in behind us, and there was a trailer too, and probably slowed to 40 on the freeway... All three times, my buddy couldn't get over a lane because of traffic... Idiots...



Of course, I have had the opposite happen too... I was getting on the freeway one morning, in my minivan... I stayed in the slow lane, but that lanes ends about 1000 feet after the onramp, so I HAD to get over...

Traffic is moving about 65, and so was I... There was actually a clear stretch about several hundred feet long in the second lane from the right, and I am close to the last car in that lane, so I couldn't go any faster... I could actually see this one pickup (a lifted Diesel too) accelarate, and try to close the gap (I'd estimate up to 80+ mph by the time he was up to us)... I stayed in my lane until it ended, and with my blinker on, I merged into the other lane, pretty much right in front of him... Mind you, I was within 40 feet of the car in front of me already (going ~65), so this pickup flys right up to my bumper, honking and flashing his lights like I cut him off and kept him from speeding away... What an idiot, he wouldn't be going anywhere even if I let him by...

Of course, I did manage to keep him in check for the next few miles :D



I move over if I see them looking, using their signal and speeding up to match traffic. If they are not paying attention, on their cell phone, putting on make up, holding a dog in their lap, I just sit there in the slow lane and let them deal with slamming on the brakes at the end of the ramp.

When I am alone, that is the way I drive... I try to be very courteous to those that honestly seem to be lost /confused or just driving slow and cautious... But when I see someone driving aggressively, talking on the cell phone, etc, then I drive "legal" but won't give in to them...

How about this one?

There is a car in front of you stopped and waiting for traffic to pass so they can enter the roadway. They proceed and you turn your head to the left to check for oncoming traffic (taking your eyes off the driver/vehicle ahead of you which pulled away). You see it's safe to proceed and hit the throttle and then look ahead, only to see that the j/o who was ahead of you suddenly stopped, because they suddenly decided it was unsafe to proceed. Then, you have to slam on your "anchors" to avoid rear-ending them. :mad: