How to Merge Properly When Driving Onto a Highway or Freeway
Merge People Merge!
One mistake that many drivers make is not merging properly. How many times have you been driving on a highway or freeway and have witnessed an improper merge? So many times I see someone entering onto a large busy highway and they stop or slow down. This can cause so many accidents. They think that they are being safe by stopping or slowing down. What about the vehicle behind them that is properly trying to merge by increasing their speed to merge and they come upon a stopped car in the merge lane? They too must slow down so that they do not collide with the car in front of them therefore losing their ability to merge. Talk about frustrating!
Study and learn the driver's handbook
The driver’s handbook, which I hope, everyone has read and studied before obtaining a license to drive states that when entering onto a freeway or highway in most cases there will be two parts which are:
- 1. The Entrance Ramp
- 2. The Acceleration Lane
I do realize that in some incidents you may not be able to get onto a very busy freeway even though you have accelerated and driven properly to merge onto the highway and have to stop due to inconsiderate drivers or traffic backup, but so often lately I see people not following the proper procedure on merging.
Merging
When you are on the entrance ramp use your mirrors to check the traffic flow, access onto the freeway, blind spots, and look to see where you plan to merge onto the freeway.
Upon leaving the entrance ramp and entering onto the acceleration lane this is where you accelerate (not stop or slow down). Accelerate to the same speed of that of traffic. Make sure that your signal is on so that drivers on the freeway can be alerted that you plan to enter the freeway.
In a perfect world other freeway drivers should move over to let you onto the freeway. This does not always happen, so plan your merge accordingly.
© 2011 Susan Zutautas
