by Marc Phillippe Babineau

Created on: December 14, 2008   Last Updated: December 19, 2008

Merging either onto a highway or another road with an oncoming line of traffic is sometimes a feat that the most seasoned of drivers will have some good horror stories to tell you about. Driver etiquette mandates that when merging, there are two factors involved; matching speeds and one-to-one merging. Matching speeds means that the merging driver should accelerate to just below the speed of the oncoming traffic, and the oncoming traffic should decelerate to just above the merging traffic's speed. The oncoming traffic should also try to merge with the lane to their left, if safely possible, to allow for more vehicles to safely enter the highway.

One-to-one merging simply means that one vehicle from the highway, then one vehicle from the merging lane should advance, followed by another highway vehicle, then another merging vehicle. Think of a shuffling deck of cards, every second card should be from a separate hand, merging to make a perfect fan with no two cards touching from one side of the shuffle. Just as when you merge while driving, the rule of the road is that every second car should be allowed onto the highway, and the highway drivers that are on the merging lane with the on-ramp should allow for sufficient space for at least one vehicle to merge in front of them. And also in this perfect world, there would be no famine, thirst or homelessness.

There is a reason that many police vehicles park near merging lanes and watch the traffic. Major merging lanes, like those running from one or two lane highways onto four or more lane highways, or from "runner" highways to major highways are the most common places that road rage is initiated. A vehicle gets cut off, or someone speeds up so that a merging vehicle has to brake and end up stopping at the end of the merge lane, and the blood starts to boil. Just like in a hockey game, the driver is taking names and reading numbers (license plate - they'll use the internet to find you if they can not catch up with you). There are road-rage laws in effect in Canada and many States in the USA, and they carry very stiff fines and penalties, along with a short stay in the iron-bar hotel.

If you happen to be the driver on the highway, and are approaching an off/on ramp, prepare to have vehicles merge with you. You will be able to see, ahead of you, the amount of vehicles that are lined up to merge, and you should decelerate slowly until you are at a speed equivalent with the flow of traffic ahead of you, but with much more space between you and the vehicle in front of you to allow for one vehicle to drive in between you. When you are in a merging situation, you should never speed up to be right behind the vehicle in front of you in order to stop one of the vehicles from merging properly, as this is not only immoral, it is frowned upon by angry drivers and wide-eyed policemen (read; aggressive driving ticket, either for following too closely, or failure to properly merge). Those two seconds that are saved by cutting someone off could cause someone to lose their life. Not really worth it, is it?

Merging while driving in inclement weather, especially in the winter time when the roads are frozen and covered with snow and/or ice, which makes for many accidents and ditch-bound vehicles, should be undertaken with utmost due diligence. If you are the driver on the highway, try to merge with the lane to the left of you prior to the incoming traffic merging onto the highway. This allows the merging vehicles enough free room to accelerate slowly and safely onto the highway, without anyone having to apply their brakes, which is when things can get nasty on a highway in inclement weather.

Drive safe, and merge smart!

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