Left Hand Merges Dangerous?

[TheBigCheese]

I'm from New Jersey outside of Philadelphia and we have plenty of left-hand merges similar to the ones mentioned in Unca Cecil's column but with a little difference. Apparently Chicagoans still use the left lane as the fast lane but around here, the slow drivers clog up the left land clinging to it until 100' before their exit when they make a sharp right across the lanes without looking! Whenever I see a big Lexus or Lincoln going 40 in a 55 zone in the left lane and am near an exit, I resist the temptation to pass on the right because there's a good chance they will exit without signaling (I don't rhink any luxury car is equipped with signals because I never see them being used!).

Apparently, people came to the conclusion that it's easier to drive slowly in the left lane because they don't have to be on the lookout for people merging but they practice this even where there are entrances on the left because they have forgotten why they do this!

So hooray for Chicago where you have to face 85mph drivers when you merge on the left.