I don’t know if it’s much of an assumption - in post # 29 you claimed “It’s your responsibility to be alert.” with regards to the right of way during a merge. It sounds like **Morgenstern **pegged you pretty good.
During my daily commute if I leave more that 1.5 car lengths between me and the car in front will guarantee a non-signalling car will cram itself in there.
It is situations like this which have caused me to install a dashcam in my truck to protect myself from false litigation.
Look, if a car is trying to merge, you’d rather just not let them merge… You would really take that chance? Yes, it is your responsibility to be alert. If a car is merging and not looking, you should let them in.
Yes, according to the law, the other person might be at fault. So we are going to play the blame game now?
It’s a simple concept, just let them in and drive the speed limit.. Geez! What in the world is so difficult to grasp? Is it so difficult to be a nice driver and just let people in who are trying to merge?
I guess just because I can find the other person at fault means that I’m always right and I can do what I want. I guess that means I don’t have to be a responsible driver.. GIVE ME A BREAK!
The internet.
If one person tells you you’re wrong, it’s no big deal. If two people tell you’re your wrong, you might want to listen. But when everyone is telling you you’re wrong, it’s time to listen and rethink your position.
Then I can only surmise that you haven’t driven in truly congested rush hour traffic in heavily urbanized areas, where there might be control lights on the ramp, or stop signs (although this is rare), or the ramps might be no more than a couple of car lengths long.
It’s very common for a combination of these factors to create the conditions that the on-ramp basically becomes a line of fully stopped cars and the traffic, while slow and congested, is moving fast enough to make it difficult for the person at the end of the on-ramp to get into traffic from a dead stop without some help from traffic in the moving lanes.
When you’re talking about a traffic situation in which there are hundreds or thousands of cars with drivers from a whole range of confidence, driving experience, driving skill, and physical limitations, difficult may very well be the same as impossible. You have to set the standards and expectations based on the reality that exists on the ground (the “average” or “worse than average” driver), not some hypothetical “properly skilled driver” standard.
Look, you get up to the speed of traffic when merging.
If traffic is going 80 miles and hour, you get up to 80 miles and hour and merge.
If it’s stop and go traffic, you match the slow speed and merge.
If you don’t know how to step on the gas and get up to speed before the merge lane ends, then tough shit. Sit at the end of the lane until there is a break in traffic, and then step on it.
Quit being pussies or get off the freeway. The people who slow down to let these idiots in are just as bad as the idiots themselves. It backs up traffic and causes accidents, all because one timid driver is to scared to pick up speed quickly.
You understand that we live in a society in which people have to use the freeway in order to make a living, right?
It’s not “one timid driver.” It’s hundreds or thousands of them. That’s why it happens at nearly every on-ramp that I pass on my way to work in the mornings. When it’s that common, it’s a sign that you have to change your expectations about what it means to drive on the freeway.
Exactly. There’s nothing wrong with waiting for a break in traffic. That’s pretty much what I do. I just wait for a break in traffic. However, if someone is trying to merge on the on-ramp, I either get into the fast lane and match the speed of the people in the fast lane and then move over to the right lane when it’s safe or I slow down in the right lane just enough so there’s a slight break in traffic for someone to safely merge.
I think people are misreading what I’ve been saying and it’s probably my fault for not being clear and concise.
I let people in because I’m a nice driver - And no this hasn’t caused any accidents as people might think. I’m not sure where people are getting this from. I also let people in because I don’t trust them enough - I’m under the assumption that some people just won’t look when they merge which is why I give them enough space to merge. I drive defensively - nothing to do with being incompetent. Defensive does not equal incompetent. Again, I’m not sure where people are getting this from.
I have no problem matching speeds, but I do have a problem with people who go 20 miles per hour above the speed limit and then complain when they get pulled over. I do have a problem with people zig zagging through traffic and nearly causing accidents when there is no need to zigzag through traffic - and these are usually the people that go 20+ miles per hour above the speed limit.
I am anxiously awaiting the moment where Andrew just loses it and runs someone over. It’ll be awesome. Hurry up and more seasons to your online streaming, CTV!
/hijack
This has been frustrating the shit out of me lately. You would think I just cut someone off in the worst way just for attempting to merge. People actually accelerate just so others can’t get over. I’ve damn near ran off the road this way more times than I can count lately. And this is in an area where it’s ALL merging, because it’s the on ramp leading to a highway continuing in the same direction, and the other leading onto a ramp going the other way. The window of time to cross over two lanes to where I need to be is not even 3/4 a mile. Yeah, the design there is fucked, but it is what it is and when people are halfway courteous it works just fine.
It’s shit like this that makes me understand why people get road rage.
Look, all I want to know is when will the computers be driving the cars for us?
Humans are too damn stupid, ignorant, lazy, emotional, etc. to drive safely. I figure no matter how bad the computers do, it’s got to be better than humans.
We should get signs of this printed up and posted on all the fast roads around here (I’d take out the part about them sitting at the end of the lane, though, because it’s hard not to rear-end people who do that - you’re gearing up to merge at 100, and they come to a dead stop in front of you).
Don’t be nice - be predictable.
Did you see the video lately where someone on (I think it was) Germany’s Worst Driver where the driver actually HIT the host? I think that’s more likely than Andrew losing it (I do love it when he yells at the stupid drivers, though).
:dubious:
Okay, so the predictable thing would be not to let people in.
Seriously… ? :smack:
If someone wants to merge and you can give them enough room to merge without disrupting traffic, you let them merge. It’s simple!
There are plenty of situations where it’s appropriate to slow way down or stop to let someone in but an on-ramp isn’t one of them.
You can speed up or slow down using the accelerator to create a gap. You can pay attention and change lanes to mitigate congestion.
You don’t use your brakes on the freeway, you don’t slow WAY down because while you and the merger feel all warm and fuzzy, all the traffic behind you has to cope with your unpredictable driving.
People wouldn’t zig-zag if people would yield to faster traffic by moving to the right.
Edit: Your posts sound like you disrupt traffic to me but if you haven’t been rear-ended yet we’re probably just talking past each other.
I agree. I actually think that people (in the city both Cat Whisperer and I live in) here should avoid the Deerfoot (major freeway running N - S through the city) and take alternate routes if they are afraid of driving on it, rather then saving five or ten minutes and potentially causing accidents. But, those types of people still take the freeway, and if they don’t get up to speed and get scared, rather then just moving over in to traffic anyhow and causing people to slam on their brakes, they should go the the VERY END of the merge lane and wait for a break in traffic (easier said then done, I know).
Again, there seems to be a refusal to acknowledge circumstances. In an urban area in which the highways frequently split, sometimes you have to stay in the left lane. There’s no god-given right to go faster than everyone else regardless of the traffic conditions. In heavy traffic, in which all lanes are moving at roughly the same speed and are equally congested, zig-zaggers are idiots.
The fact that people are able to zig-zag indicates that traffic isn’t as congested as you think it is, almost like a refusal to acknowledge facts…weird.
I understand that in the most urban areas no amount of proper driving is going to “cure” congestion, there’s too many people for that. However, I submit that a good dose of common sense would ameliorate the situation considerably.
Yeah, they are able to zig-zag using maneuvers that are clearly dangerous, creating multiple near misses and causing other drivers to slam on their brakes. Is that really proving what you think it is?
I haven’t disrupted traffic nor have I been rear-ended knock on wood
+1
Exactly my point.
Heck, if I’m in the right lane of a freeway and I see a crowded on-ramp, I try to get to the middle or left lane just to avoid the hassle.
And if I’m on the on-ramp, I’m doing my best to match the speed of existinG traffic to make my merge as smooth as possible. At times I have to slow down a lot, but once in a lane it’s often PUNCH IT! PUNCH IT NOW! with the motor near-redlining to get to freeway speed as fast as possible. People who slow down for a merge and stay slowed down even when they’ve entered the lane annoy me.