Driving question: highway on-ramps

[Jenkki]

Originally Posted by BostonMike7

I've been cut off badly before to the point I had every right to get mad.

But once in a rare while the other driver throws up s hand to say I'm sorry and I instantly feel better. People should try that once in a while

I was waiting to take a legal U-turn at a light in Brighton one evening and the car in front of me wasn't moving despite the green light. I beeped at him and gestured for him to go assuming he was on his phone and not paying attention. The guy made some gesture that looked like he was pointing up. After a few minutes he finally moved and I saw a left turn arrow and "left on green arrow only" that had been obscured by the guy's car in front of me. When I pulled up next to him at the next light, I rolled down my window and he rolled his down expecting a confrontation. The look of shock and then relief on his face when I apologized instead was priceless.

[imperi33]

Generally just merge at the speed of traffic and slow down / speed up to prevent collisions. The vast majority of drivers in the right-lane will let you in if your speed is matched - if your speed is much lower there's a higher chance they will cut you off since it would require them braking so much.

It gets more complicated if the merge lane is extremely short with no shoulder, and in those circumstances you might need to come to a complete halt if it's clear the right-lane drivers are aggressively maintaining their right-of-way without slowing.

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by BostonMike7

But once in a rare while the other driver throws up s hand to say I'm sorry and I instantly feel better. People should try that once in a while

I try to be that guy (because it does happen).

I had someone do it to me a few days ago (on 24 actually). Cut me off pretty good, but waved and mouthed "Sorry" when I pulled around him. I was in his blind spot.

[wolfgang239]

I vote Rt.2 as having some of the worst on ramps, you almost can't avoid having to sit and wait to merge at some of them.

When I'm headed back home in the AM I merge from Taylor Rd. to 2 East on one of those tiny ramps. About 1000ft. ahead of the ramp is aramp to 495 that tons of people take in the morning. It would be suicide to just blast onto the highway, but I've seen many near misses.