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What really annoys me is when signs are posted that one lane will be closed ahead. Usually starts at 1 mile ahead, 1000 ft ahead, 500 ft ahead, etc.
People start merging over right at 1 mile ahead while there is still 1 mile of real estate left for them to safely proceed. It would ease congestion if everyone in the merging lane would just keep in their lane until their lane actually ends and then they can start merging alternating between cars in the other lane.
I'll disagree. I was raised to get into the lane you need to be at the earliest convenience. Now, i don't think they should slow down and disrupt traffic to try to get over when they still have time.. but at the same time they shouldn't wait until the last minute.
At least around the Houston area, it seems like most people want to stay in the exit only lane until the last minute to change lanes... because the other lanes are backed up. A big part of the reason the next lane over is backed up is because.... of the people who think they are more important and don't want to wait and just drive up the exit only lane.
As for the original question... eh, I learned to drive in Oklahoma (move right whenever possible so others can pass on the left, slow down and let people merge, use a turn signal to indicate a lane change (not during the actual change or not at all) and if someone indicates they need over, slow down and let them merge... don't speed up and cut them off. Most of the freeway entrances where I drive (I45, Beltway 8, 59) all have entrance ramps marked, with plenty of distance to merge and plenty of warning for those on the freeway. The only area that is bad IMO is the entrance to the Beltway between I45 and the Hardy toll road. Whoever designed that with 2 exit only lanes right next to each other is an idiot. Someone getting on not only has to deal with the Beltway traffic trying to exit for either north or south toll road traffic, but also has to get over two lanes in a short period of time.
There is a term they have for when people enter a highway and force everyone else to slow down. It's called "failure to yield the right-of-way," and it is very much illegal, not to mention dangerous!
That's actually not true, apparently, although people keep citing it. Here's one random article I Googled from Washington state that discusses it.
The "right of way," it states, does not cover merging onto a highway from a ramp. It's for things such as coming out of a driveway or a roadside. Now, you can't just force your way onto a highway, true. But actually, because of that, if you can't get into the highway ...guess what, you must slow down on the ramp to wait for space. In other words, any "right of way" argument is actually an argument FOR slowing down on a ramp, not one that states that you have to build up speed. Whoops.
A "right of way" argument is one of mere common sense. It means that if there's a car physically occupying the space you're merging into, you cannot just barrel into the side of the car and claim that it had no right to be there. It does not, however, indicate that you must be driving "at or near" the same speed as the other vehicle or that the other vehicle does not need to slow down. Moreover, even at times when you DO have "right of way," people can and do slow down commonly. For example, if someone pulls out into traffic from their driveway and people have to slow down slightly ...they do! Amazing, right? But according to you and the OP, you'd just smash deliberately into the car and then argue that you were in the right because you had "right of way." Please attempt to do that and let me know how that goes.
LOL
Now, oddly, let me again point out that there are a few certain people who apparently are having real difficulties merging onto highways. And when I say that, it's not an exaggeration. The OP is apparently frightened to death about it and has several times mentioned "if I die ..." Notice how literally millions of people merge onto highways across this country every day and somehow don't die? And he's panicking because he's being forced to merge at 60 miles per hour. And he doesn't mean "and that's too fast." He means "and that's too slow." In other words, as usual, the most aggressive drivers are the ones who:
a) don't know how to drive; and
b) pretend to know laws that tell you to drive aggressively, which actually do not.
lol, and the award for complete lack of reading comprehension goes to the paper boy, yo!
So when everyone is driving 70 and he wants to merge in at his own predetermined speed because he is texting, talking on the phone, fear or maybe no other reason at all other than self entitlement, we should all slow down just for him. Everyone take note. And thank him for the shear entertainment factor he has brought to this thread, as well.
lol, and the award for complete lack of reading comprehension goes to the paper boy, yo!
So when everyone is driving 70 and he wants to merge in at his own predetermined speed because he is texting, talking on the phone, fear or maybe no other reason at all other than self entitlement, we should all slow down just for him. Everyone take note. And thank him for the shear entertainment factor he has brought to this thread, as well.
Notice how he added in the part about "texting and talking on the phone" and then starts babbling about "self-entitlement"? Now he's getting really desperate after the facts contradicted him. If you make this guy scared for his life to merge at 60 mph onto a highway, it's because you're "self-entitled." LMAO
The best part is his projection of his bizarro world, where the bad drivers are the good drivers. He's like the people who say that if they're tailgating you, the problem is you're being unsafe. Of course, the police disagree, but that's because the police are unsafe. Everyone is unsafe, except for them.
Sounds like you're describing yourself, actually. If I'm on the highway and someone's merging and I'm on the right, if they're not going fast enough, you know what I do? I slow down. OMG! Yeah, I know, it almost kills me to do it. I have no idea what I'm thinking. Probably I should just run them off the road and then drive over the wreckage and salt the earth.
This causes unnecessary slowdowns and likelihood of accidents when everyone slows down and forces traffic to slow down to a crawl just because of numbnuts who don't understand you should accelerate to existing traffic speed upon merging, not slow down and cause people like you to slow down for them, and then the OP slows down because you're slowing down because the numbnut doesn't know to speed up and merge. I can't stand those slow mergers.
This causes unnecessary slowdowns and likelihood of accidents when everyone slows down and forces traffic to slow down to a crawl just because of numbnuts who don't understand you should accelerate to existing traffic speed upon merging, not slow down and cause people like you to slow down for them, and then the OP slows down because you're slowing down because the numbnut doesn't know to speed up and merge. I can't stand those slow mergers.
No, it doesn't. In fact, people merge onto highways all the time at slower speeds and it doesn't cause traffic to slow down to a crawl. That's just you getting outraged that someone actually made you use a brake once. It's hilarious how angry people like you get over having to drive like a normal person. You can almost see the veins standing out on your forehead because someone merged onto the highway at 60 mph, thus getting in your way because you were probably trying to pass someone on the right hand lane, right?
Notice how he added in the part about "texting and talking on the phone" and then starts babbling about "self-entitlement"? Now he's getting really desperate after the facts contradicted him. If you make this guy scared for his life to merge at 60 mph onto a highway, it's because you're "self-entitled." LMAO
The best part is his projection of his bizarro world, where the bad drivers are the good drivers. He's like the people who say that if they're tailgating you, the problem is you're being unsafe. Of course, the police disagree, but that's because the police are unsafe. Everyone is unsafe, except for them.
Keep trying. It's quite entertaining while I eat my lunch, watching you spin your tales and dig yourself deeper into that pit of humiliation.
Keep trying. It's quite entertaining while I eat my lunch, watching you spin your tales and dig yourself deeper into that pit of humiliation.
Lol, I'm amazed he can eat after that experience of driving on the highway. "If I die ..." You'd think he'd be writing his will. Maybe he has to wait until his hands stop trembling. Except by then, it'll be time to go home and then he'll have to drive again, lol.
Interesting, so just to reiterate so that everyone in the forum knows, the position of Merc63 and the OP is that if you follow posted speed limits, then you are endangering everyone on the road and the state posted those limits in order for you to be a danger to society.
Now you know.
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