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There is a 4 second rule for merging; you need two seconds in front of you and two seconds behind you. At 65 miles an hour, 4 seconds is about 127 yards. A football field, including the end-zones, is about 120 yards. So you essentially need a tiny bit more than the length of a football field to complete a safe merge at 65 miles per hour. Drop the speeds down to 55, and you can drop the end-zones off that length, but you still need a significant gap in order to merge safely without tailgating anyone or being tailgated by anyone.
In a large city during peak hours you will be waiting a few hours to find that 4 second gap.
That's definitely the case out here in addicted-to-imports LA and the rest of California, where imports have dominated the sales charts for three decades.
I notice that more and more people in my area (Virginia) seem to think it is cool not to use turn signals. I also notice a weird trend where people ride the shoulder when merging on to the highway to the last possible second (pretty much taking their tires to the rumble strips) and then don't use their turn signal after all of that as if they really didn't make a turn when entering the highway. I don't think all of that drama entitles the person to not use a turn signal. Do you? I mean, I know that it is technically a merge as opposed to a lane change but I use a turn signal for much less.
People are not raising their children to consider other people, I see this behavior much more as time goes on. Everyone get's a trophy, everyone is a winner. The world revolves around ME, that is what Mom and Dad taught them.
It's not just driving, it's everything.
We were at Target the other day and this young twentysomething girl was walking down the middle of the isle texting on her phone. We stopped dead to wait to see which way she would go. She walked right into our cart, and not an excuse me or anything. She looked at us like what the hell are you doing in my way?
I don't know where all this is going, but society is changing for the worse. No manners, only narcissism.
Maybe not using your turn signal is a status symbol?
Get used to it. The moment you are out in Utah, Arizona, Nevada, and California, good luck with that. At least they are not swaying across the 2 or 3 lanes of the freeway. Besides, what's 93 on 55? Yes, 93mph on 55 mph.
I notice that more and more people in my area (Virginia) seem to think it is cool not to use turn signals. I also notice a weird trend where people ride the shoulder when merging on to the highway to the last possible second (pretty much taking their tires to the rumble strips) and then don't use their turn signal after all of that as if they really didn't make a turn when entering the highway. I don't think all of that drama entitles the person to not use a turn signal. Do you? I mean, I know that it is technically a merge as opposed to a lane change but I use a turn signal for much less.
You are not alone there in Verginie...same here in my state...unfortunately there are many more inconsiderate numbskulls out there than sane drivers.
Merge signs have one straight line and one bent line. Never have I ever seen a merge sign with two bent lines. There is always one lane that is designated to merge into the other lane. People seem to think that just because there is a merge sign that they don't need their turn signals. Ridiculous. Use your signal or you aren't getting in.
The turn signal is to signal your intentions, but if it's obvious why is a signal needed? Why are the above posters clueless that someone is merging?
It's obvious that you want to enter the highway, but it is not always obvious which space you intend to merge into. It's like changing lanes at any other time.
Take out the merging aspect of it, and suppose you are in the right lane of a two-lane road, and want to move into the left lane. There are six cars in the left lane about to pass you, but there is a space between number five and number six that you can safely take. You wait until car five begins to pass you, put your signal on in plenty of time for car six to see it and realize what you're doing, and finally complete your lane change.
Merging from an on-ramp is the same basic idea, except the actual location of the lane change (on the pavement) is predetermined for you, so you have to adjust your speed so you will be lined up with a gap in traffic by the time you get there.
The turn signal is to signal your intentions, but if it's obvious why is a signal needed? Why are the above posters clueless that someone is merging?
Just because your lane is ending doesn't mean I know your intentions. You could actually be trying to run your car into the concrete barrier.
When a lane ends, the continuing lane has right-of-way. By turning on your signal, you are effectively asking the other driver to yield to you. He is not telepathic.
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