Note to you fucking IDIOTS I have been behind merging onto I-25 from Eubank recently: When entering a freeway, you do not fucking stop on the on ramp! (These are not on ramps with lights that regulate traffic, one is expected to be somewhere near freeway speed upon merging)
If you are afraid to drive on the freeway, then don’t. If you do choose to join the crowd, please accelerate up the onramp with the goal of “merging” into traffic as smoothly as possible.
DO NOT STOP! DO NOT FUCKING STOP! If you would just attempt to have enough speed where the person coming down the right lane can either move over or speed up or slow down to let your ass in, you would not fuck everything up.
But no, you have to haul ass to the “line”, stop, and then decide you can ease onto the freeway, and fuck me, anybody, or that semi that’s about to run up your sorry ass, not to mention the poor fucks behind you that have to do the same shit because of your moronic bullshit.
Preach it, brother. I suspect these people have never thought about this situation, and don’t realize that you need a space only a little larger than your car to merge into when you’re going the same speed as the traffic you’re entering. A corollary - if you’re in line behind me, merge BEHIND ME, for cryin’ out loud. Don’t come flying around me on either side - I have enough to deal with with my own merge; don’t make me have to deal with your impatient ass flying around me into traffic before your turn.
My related peeve to this - a yield sign isn’t a merge sign. A yield sign means “yield to oncoming traffic and proceed when clear”. It doesn’t mean come screaming out in front of me when I expected you to yield to me because I had right of way.
This is why I could never have a car in a large city. The merge situation is one of my recurring (but yet-unrealized) nightmares. I’ve ridden in a car riding around San Diego. I’ve ridden on a bus driving around Minneapolis/St. Paul. I’ve never driven in a city larger than 40,000 people. And I probably never will.
Interesting phobia, jayjay.
I saw an interesting type of merging earlier this week. I was driving 34, a 4 lane highway through Burnington. I was following a minivan that was behind a semi in the right lane, in the left was a car passing the three of us.
I saw a pickup truck come down one of the ramps, accelerating, and so I slowed down so that they could get in in front of me. Instead of matching the speed of traffic and slipping into the huge gap between me and the van, they, for some reason unknown, decided to hammer it and try to merge into the side of the minivan. The minivan couldn’t get over because there was a car right next to them, so after driving three wide down a two lane road for a bit, the stupid truck driver finally backed off and got behind in a van.
So, a quick rehash: merge means that you are to match speed with and then merge into a gap in the traffic. If the traffic is feeling particularly nice, they may move into the left lane, but that isn’t their obligation.
Gar. Stupid people. Right before that someone pulled out of a driveway right in front of me, and I had to slam on the breaks to keep from hitting them. Right before that, I got to work and found out that they’d conveniently decided that they didn’t need me, and neglected to actually tell me that before I drove all the way over there. Right before that, I dropped off the guy I give rides to, which meant I’d have to make another trip from home (40 minutes each way) to pick him up after the shift was over.
This is one of the biggest difficulties (and still a major pet peeve) I have encountered since being exiled in Hooterville. Merging means that you (get this!) merge. When you merge onto the freeway, you do NOT have the right of way. You cannot, and should not expect all freeway traffic to magically move out of the way for you. Sometimes they can’t. You don’t know what’s on the freeway yet—you’re not there yet. You need to (get this!) LOOK AROUND and actually SEE what the traffic is like. This way, you can gauge how to merge. Get in before that car? Slip in behind that car? Get in as soon as that car moves out of the way for you? These all may be things that may happen, but you will NEVER KNOW THAT UNLESS YOU CAST YOUR EYES UPON THE FREEWAY!!!
ARGH. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve almost been hit by a completely oblivious driver who just barrels on the freeway without looking to see who or what is there, how bad the traffic is, etc. They just assume that everyone will get out of their way. They just assume that the way will be clear. Why shouldn’t it? THEY are there! The Red Sea will part!!!
I almost had a guy follow me home (he started to, but apparently thought better of it) because I wouldn’t get out of my lane to make way for him. It happened too soon, I didn’t have time to swerve out of his way, and besides, it wasn’t MY job to merge onto the freeway—I WAS ALREADY ON THE FRICKIN’ FREEWAY!!! But this bozo was apparently beyond enraged because I didn’t swerve out of his way on a busy freeway.
I’ve had discussions with the people who grew up here, they say that it is a “courtesy” to get out of the way for merging traffic. Yeah, that’s fine. I did a lot of that in L.A. But does that mean that you don’t have to look around to see what’s on the freeway? Does that mean that merging traffic has the right of way, and freeway traffic is obligated to always get out of the way?
NO. IT. DOESN’T.
It is always like culture shock to return home to L.A., and (even though the drivers there are less than stellar) to discover that yeah—the merging traffic is actually aware that there is traffic on the freeway!
Sorry for that long rant. Had to get that off my chest.
Right on! Every morning I drive on a highway that accepts traffic exiting the Interstate. They have a yield sign, but for some reason think traffic already on the highway should stop or yield to them because they can’t be bothered!:wally
i drive in l.a. county and durn is it exciting!! there are many ways I have seen cars cut off other cars in the adventurous effort of shaving seconds off their driving time (as here driving distance is better measured better in time than actual mileage). when it comes to merging I almost wish my only woes were that of the people coming onto the freeway. When I drive in the right lane I must watch for cars merging on (for a little action and excitement, what will they do?), but I must also watch the lane on my left as I have found that cars in this lane seem to think that a freeway onramp is the best time for them to move to the right lane. so I will have two cars wanting the same space I occupy.
I have turned into a complete nerd that wishes for more driving tickets for assholes.
Not the case in all states. In Illinois, the driver on the freeway is expected to make way for those merging. It’s extremely frustrating to try to merge when there is absolutely no room to do so!
The following is an excerpt from the Illinios Rules of the Road:
“MERGING LANES: This merge sign tells you that two lanes of traffic going the same direction will soon merge into one lane. **Be ready to either change lanes or allow other traffic to merge into your lane. **You see this merge sign on expressways just before expressway ramps. The driver on the expressway slows down to let the driver on the ramp merge.”
So, cars on the freeway/expressway are responsible for making sure to check for merging traffic and accomodate them by either getting out of the way, as I was taught in driver’s ed, or to slow down to let them in if you can’t get out of the way.
If an accident occurs due to this, I believe the driver who did not let the other car merge would be the one to get the ticket – though those merging should be planning for such a situation.
Big signs that say “use common sense” might be helpful. I get on the freeway to go home at a wonderfully thought out on-ramp at the bottom of a steep grade. The on-ramp is a circular ramp rising about 20 feet with a moderately long approach/merge lane, and any decently powered vehicle can easily accelerate to 65 or 70 to merge. The problem is that 18 wheelers come down the grade in the right lane at about 80, and some suicidal numbnutz takes the on ramp at a crawl and tries to merge at 40. Jacknifeville, with the lovely smell of melted rubber and scorched brakefluid. Who is in error? Both. Who suffers? Everyone. Stupid bastards.