Merging Traffic and Road Rage

The BBQ Pit
1

I just don’t understand some drivers. I need to rant about this, it’s REALLY bugging me after what happened today.

I almost was a victim of Road Rage today. I am pretty sure. I was driving on the freeway with my sister and mom. I was in the right lane. And all of a sudden, this truck (or was it an SUV? Something big) was right on me, “merging” onto the freeway. But obviously he didn’t look around before he merged, just barrelled on the onramp really fast and just assumed that the Red Sea of rush hour traffic would part for him. Which of course did not happen. I didn’t have time to think, or try to look around me to see if I could swerve out of his way. So I just hoped that he’d have the sense to pull back, but he didn’t. And he almost side-swiped me.

After that, I started moving over to the left lane, preparing to make a freeway change. And every time I changed lanes, this guy was on my tail, following me. It was obvious. He started to follow me to the new freeway I was moving onto, but at the last minute he swerved back to the original freeway. I am guessing that this moron thought that I was in his lane, and that I should have been looking out for him, and that it was all my responsibility to get out of his way as he merged onto the freeway. He obviously was so outraged that he was going to follow me and confront me in some really scary way.

This is not a rare attitude among the drivers where I live now, and I have ranted about it before. I guess that freeway drivers out here (“here” being a middle-sized Midwestern town) rush to get out of the way of merging traffic. And hell, I’ve been known to do that myself at times, when I can. But during rush hour, it’s not always possible. Sometimes you just don’t see the merging car in time (especially if they are going really fast) and sometimes you can’t get over.

So what the HELL do these people think? How can they rationalize that the freeway traffic is automatically always going to get out of their way? How can they think that they don’t even have to look around before they merge?

I guess I want to ask, does this happen in your town? How common is this attitude - that the merging traffic has no obligation to look around and be aware of what is on the freeway as they merge? What other crazy habits do some drivers in your area consider OK to do?

2

I guess I want to ask, does this happen in your town? How common is this attitude - that the merging traffic has no obligation to look around and be aware of what is on the freeway as they merge? What other crazy habits do some drivers in your area consider OK to do?

On LA freeways, this is business as usual.

3

People on the freeway here seem to think it’s okay to pull into the on-ramp merge lane to get around other drivers in the right lane. It bugs me.

Someone is bound to complain about motorcycles sharing lanes when the traffic is slow. It’s not illegal, and it’s not particularly unsafe as long as the motorcyclist keeps his speed down. (I can understand how someone zipping through stopped traffic at 60mph might be disconcerting.) But why must people crowd the motorcyclist? Are they thinking, “If I’m stuck in traffic, I’ll be damned if I’ll let you get by me just because you’re using a more efficient, verstile vehicle!” Hey, the bike will be next to you for less than a second, then he’ll be gone. Doesn’t it make sense to let him pass (he’s going to get past you anyway) and avoid raising your blood pressure? Why is it that Mercedes drivers seem to be the rudest drivers on the road? Why are people surprised to see the motorcycle at the last second? Don’t they have a swivel mechanism for their head? Something like a “neck”? Have they no mirrors? (Personal opinion: There are very few “drivers”; most are mearly passengers who happen to be in the left seat. Since they aren’t “driving”, they are not paying attention.)

4

A merge is supposed to be a cooperative effort. Whether you are on the ramp or in the traffic lane, you are to adjust your speed to allow for the smooth uninterrupted flow of traffic. Merge does not mean “yield”. Nor does it mean, “get the fuck outta my way, I’m gettin’ on the highway.”

Also, what is it with people who don’t feel they need to signal thier intentions? Fuckwads.

5

But don’t go too far in your effort to be cooperative. Ideally, the driver in the driving lane should keep a steady speed so the merging driver can adjust his own speed so as to enter smoothly. One of my personal beefs is with people who, seeing me coming down the onramp, slow down (for fear that I don’t know how to merge properly, not an unreasonable fear in MA), at which point I have to slow down in order to slip in behind them. (I drive a minivan; I need time to get up to speed. I can’t just punch it and speed ahead.) If I’m really lucky they will slow down even more, leaving me entering the highway at 40mph.

Don’t even get me started on the subject of rotaries…

6

I am from Los Angeles, and I have never seen this certain oblivious driving habit in LA. Sure, LA is nuts, sure, it’s “kill or be killed” at times, but not like this. This is some brand of complete obliviousness that is not what I have encountered in LA. (I have been returning to LA a couple times a year since my move, and I still notice the difference in driving habits when I am on the LA freeways.)

Merging is a cooperative effort, and I never had a problem to this extent in LA. I’d see a car coming up the ramp, and mentally know - “They’re behind me enough that they can slip in behind me.” And they do. Or, I’ll think “They can make it ahead of me” and I let them. No problem. Certainly there have been times when you don’t quite know what the merging driver is going to do, and it is irritating. But I usually have gotten the impression that the merging driver sees me, and is making some attempt to do something. And, there is the asshole who WON’T let me merge ahead of them, because, God Forbid anyone get ahead of them. These situations are irritating, and scary at times. But I’m not unfamiliar with them.

But ever since I moved to this middle-sized Midwestern town, I have noticed this OBLIVIOUSNESS in the drivers. Which is something I never have encountered before, at least not like this. And not only are they oblivious, they don’t think anything is wrong with that. Obviously this guy thought that I was totally wrong, and I’m guessing that if we had collided, he would have blamed me entirely. (Like, how? “I was merging into the traffic lane, and hit a car already on the traffic lane. And it’s all their fault.”)

Now, it can be said that I should have known how oblivious drivers are here, assumed that this guy wouldn’t be seeing me, and get out of his way if needs be. And I think I am doing that - I am getting very paranoid about that now. But is not always possible to see these cars until the last minute, and that’s what happened yesterday. The freeway onramps in this town are often very short, you can’t see cars coming up until the last minute, especially if they are going very fast. And if it’s rush hour, you can’t get over yourself because it isn’t always clear.

I just can’t get over it. I can’t believe the drivers here. I especially can’t believe that people do not think they have to look around them as they merge into traffic. Give me LA driving any day.

7

A very similar incident happened to me today in the midwest. I plan to call the company of the truck driver.

8

Yosemitebabe said:

Not to be sexist…well, OK, I’ll be sexist. This is the Pit, right?

Anyway, I’ve concocted a theory based solely on my observations. I think that women tend to be oblivious when they are driving. Many just don’t seem to pay attention to what they’re doing, and assume everything going to be all right if they just do their thang.

But men tend to be malicious. In other words, if a woman cuts you off, it’s because she didn’t see you. But if a man does it, it’s because he saw you and wants to either prove his manliness or just do something mean. Based on your story, the guy definitely saw you, and took a deliberate course of action to make you yield to him.

She also said:

As a resident of another medium-sized sort-of-Midwestern town (Denver), I’ve found that this sort of driving is par for the course. People here like to think that transplant Californians are to blame, but let me tell you: I’ve driven in California, and the people who drive there are at least competent. Here, well…:slight_smile:

9

As has been said already, merging is a two party endevour. It sounds like the guy in the OP was out of line, but I’ve seen the people on the freeway be idiots as well. It really bothers me when I’m trying to get onto a freeway and the people in the right lane don’t move left if the lane is clear.

10

what pisses me off is when i’m behind some fucker who is merging onto the freeway, and they’re only entering the freeway at 40mph when everyone else on the freeway is going 80mph.

come on people, at the end of the onramp, your speed should match that of the speed on the freeway. that is, unless you have some kind of death wish.

11

Yeah, if the car coming up the ramp is going to be right on me and I can see I can conveniently get out of their way to make things easier for them, sure, I’ll get out of their way.

But merging isn’t always that difficult. It’s more common (at least in my experience) that the merging car can easily slip in before or behind you. It’s no big deal usually. I did it all the time when I was in LA, and it’s still that way when I make my regular visits. So, why this assumption (this seems to be quite a strong assumption in the Midwestern town I’m in now) that freeway traffic should get over? Like merging traffic just expects that, all the time? (I’m not suggesting that you expect that, Adam.) What the hell is wrong with gauging your speed and position, and deftly slipping into traffic? Actually fricking PAYING ATTENTION as you merge?

Necros, I think you might have a point. This guy may have seen me sooner than I assumed he did, and he may have thought “This is MY lane, and I’ll make that bitch get out of the way.” And I was thinking “Surely this maniac can’t possibly intend to collide with freeway traffic in his attempt to merge!” And I think it was his asshole attitude that prompted him to follow me afterwards, like he did.

I do think that the drivers here are oblivious, and just don’t look. In fact, one of my mom’s friends gave her this sage advice about the art of merging - “Just drive on the freeway, just get on - they’ll get out of your way.” I think that says it all. I have had a few encounters with merging traffic before, and I swear I see astonished looks on these drivers’ (male and female, equally) faces as they finally notice that they are almost about to side-swipe me. It’s OBVIOUS that they NEVER looked around to the see that I was there when they merged.

12

I’d just like to echo the rant about the asholes who merge onto the freeway doing less than freeway speed. WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK A GOD DAMN ON RAMP IS FOR?!?!?!?! TOO many times have I almost been killed when some dipshit was doing 30 on the on-ramp when everyone else was doing 75+.
And I just need to do a mini-rant about blinkers. To all of you nice people who don’t use your blinker:

I’ve got you on my hit list you dirty little, lazy sons of bitches. If I knew who you were I would drive your ass down and then come back around a second time and pour some salt on your bleeding wounds. May the fleas of a thousand camels infest your arm pits!!

Oh, and for those of you who have always wondered why it is legal for a motorcycle to ride between the lanes:

It’s for the air-cooled bikes out there. Back when the law was instituted most if not all bikes were air cooled and if you got caught in traffic most of the time your bike would overheat. So keep your pants on. And if you are so envious of our traffic cutting allowances, then get a freakin bike and save the world another car and another ton of exhaust.

-N

13

I’ve never understood the not-using-turn-signals thing either. Presumably, at least one of your hands is already on the steering wheel, somewhere near the signal switch. Exactly how much inconvenience is possibly caused to you by using the damned thing?

14

SMOG
Signal, Mirror, look Over the shoulder, Go.

As I and others have pointed out, few drivers drive. Most seem to be left-seat passenger-zombies. You have to look where you’re going! You have to know the positions and speeds of the vehicles around you! And just in case you did “SMOG” (i.e. try to do everything right), accellerate when you change lanes just in case you missed seeing someone or if someone is changing lanes behind you. You’re less likely to be rear-ended if you speed up a little, and it’s quite annoying when someone brakes in front of you when he changes lanes.