People act like it's a hardship to move over into the left lane to allow traffic into "their" lane. It may not be a law, but it's the considerate thing to do, but there ain't a hell of a lot of that in society today anyway, so just stay focused on ME, ME, ME!

 

In a perfect world where ALL driver's are equal.....this is the qualifier.

I have seen Hesitant driver's given an opportunity..

ie: Lights flashed to them to let them know to get in
speed reduced to allow a little more room

and these people STILL screw things up.

My favourite saying in Calgary when things go according to plan is:

"Finally, someone knows what to do"

 

Aggresive driving 101..when using ramp to enter interstate: lesson one/ fly onto the highway regardless of what is coming in the right lane, and, especially disregard the 18 wheel truck coming at you from your left side. Make sure that you make every effort to just barely get in front of truck and set your speed 10 MPH hour lower of that same truck as you merge.

There is no where in this country where the aggressive idiots have the right of way as they merge...Laws or no laws. It is common sense law.

The difficult task of merging onto major interstate hwy's and secondary hwy's
is probably why nobody wants a 3 cylinder, propane-powered, hybrid-electric 36 HP wonder car. You need horsepower to make these merges. most major interstates have 70 MPH traffic and if the ramp is short, you better have a lead foot or be patient and have good timing.

 

The reason for my original thread came from a local radio personality that said she was "tired of trying to get onto the exspressway and people NOT LETTING HER IN" that there was a law that said they had to do so. I called the on air show with my arguement that the merging traffic had to yeild the right of way and she said I wasnt correct,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,I knew then she was in error and that her advice could get someone killed.......

 

Call back and send her the statute that I posted.

This is the problem with People who DON'T Take driving seriously enough to really KNOW what is right and what is wrong or bad.

 

People like her or him always get this backwards. This happens alot in North Bend, We have 4 places where a lane ends and you have to merge over to the continuing lane. Every day in this little town of commutors I have this happen. Person in the lane that is about to end insist on blowing by everyone and force themselves over. Or, better yet, person is in the left lane when the right lane is about to end and you have to merge left they will actually move right just as the lane is about to end and they try to pass you on the shoulder. This was never a problem until people from Seattle, Bellevue or what ever Metro area started moving here.

 

You must have been listening to Tara Servatius.

There is a general statute about purposefully NOT allowing someone to merge, when that vehicle HAS to merge (i.e. someone entering the highway from an on-ramp).......Don't have it in my hands, but I'll try to find it......

This is why I hate 2-lane freeways.......

This is why if I'm in a 3-lane freeway, I avoid the right-hand lane (try to stay in the middle) like the plague...unless I'm fixin' to exit the interstate....

Yes....some off-rampers are absolute idiots who drive in the ramp lane obliviously like it's never-ending, and you could be honking, flashing lights, etc. to get them to move the hell over into the right-hand interstate lane, and you're ignored until the ramp-driver suddenly wakes up, decides that "gee, the end of the ramp is 20-feet in front of me", then decides to make a sudden turn into the interstate regardless of what's coming......

It's also true that there are drivers in the right lane of an interstate who couldn't give a damn whose trying to enter the freeway from the ramp and drive as though no one else is around.....and hey, if that Taurus in the ramp hits that concrete abutment because I'm pacing their speed and not allowing them to enter the highway....tough toenails. These people take it personally whenever someone tries to get ahead of them.

All of which contributes to the point that Servatius was trying to make that a large portion of traffic fatalities occur within .2 to .4 miles of these off-ramps because of the idiots in the preceding 2 paragraphs.

If you're driving down a road, and you see someone backing out of a driveway, and it appears that this person backing up doesn't see you and is going to proceed, do you just move forward like nothing's happening?....or do you slow down, signal, get their freakin' attention, etc., to avoid a collision. Hell, you've got the right-of-way, don't you?........It's the other guy's fault, aint' it?.....

Even drivers who have the right of way have to practice defensive driving. That's what it's all about, defensive driving.

 

The statutes I posted shows there is No "Has to" as there were be signage on any road leading up to that spot.


Where IYO, would "HAS TO" apply ?

 

e1p1 just nailed it.

On a case-by-case basis, the interstate driver has been found at fault for purposefully not allowing a merge and driving so as to contribute to the collision. Just checked with one of our H.I.T.S. guys in CMPD to double-check......

That's also the point, farelane, that Tara Servatius was making (I heard the program).......the case where she's trying to merge, here comes the end of the ramp and a concrete abutment, and the driver in the right-lane of the interstate is looking at her like "who the hell are you and you don't think you're going to get in front of me, do you?"......

There's exceptions to laws, Mil1ion, or is Canada different?.......Case by case, the interstate driver was found at fault even when the law states the interstate traffic has the right-of-way.

But yes......In general and in most cases, the interstate traffic has the right-of-way.

 

From the Alberta ....Driver's Handbook.

http://www.infratrans.gov.ab.ca/INFT...n/dhpage89.htm

Merging

Merging requires that you time your approach and smoothly blend in with the other traffic. This may require adjusting your speed so that, when you reach the end of the acceleration lane, you have a gap in the traffic, which will permit you to enter the flow of traffic safely. Your entry into that flow should be at, or near, the speed of the other traffic.

Do not slow down or stop when you come to the end of the acceleration lane. This lane was designed to bring your vehicle up to the speed of the highway traffic. The drivers behind you are expecting you to continue moving ahead. If you slow down or stop, your vehicle may be rear-ended.
Here are some tips on how to merge safely:

check the traffic flow on the highway
as your vehicle enters the acceleration lane, signal left
choose your entry space
accelerate to the speed of the highway traffic
keep checking the gap and any following vehicles
move into the gap but remember to wait till you pass the solid white line
turn off your signal.


The LAW

From the Highway Traffic Act.

Entering onto highway

50 A person who is about to drive a vehicle onto an intersecting highway from another highway that is marked by a “merge” sign need not stop the vehicle before driving the vehicle onto the intersecting highway but shall take all necessary precautions and merge the vehicle safely with the traffic on the intersecting highway.

Allow merging

51 A person driving a vehicle on a highway where the highway is marked by a “merging traffic” sign near the intersection of another highway marked by a “merge” sign shall take all reasonable precautions to allow a merging vehicle to enter in safety onto the highway on which the merging is to take place.

 

You're absolutely right about the responsibilities of the "merging" traffic........

I'm with you, Dennis.......

Just wanted to point out that there are exceptions, and to recap......

DEFENSIVEDRIVINGDEFENSIVEDRIVINGDEFENSIVEDRIVINGDE FENSIVEDRIVING!!!!

Steve

 

Ok now I posted before, and I need to let you know I drive 75,000 miles per year doing my job. And here is how I have drive for 10 years in Las Vegas without a ticket or accident.

When merging, I check my mirror, and depending on the ramp I give the dreaded head turn. If I have a hole I maintain the speed needed to get into that hole. If JackA44 as mentioned in my previous posts tries cutting me off I MAINTAIN speed. If the jerk wants to hit my rear bumper then so sorry.

In heavy traffic I always signal. Most of the time folks will let you in. If not, I MAINTAIN speed and then they HAVE to let me in. Now I am not talking speeding, or trying to cut into traffic dangerously.

A few times it will happen that you have 3 or 4 cars tight (5 to 3 feet of each others bumpers) in those cases I slow down and look for another hole.

You may wonder why I call them holes. It is becauese I must keep it impersonal, and all emotion out of the situation. If it becomes personal, or emotional, it becomes lethal!

 

And if I'm merging onto the interstate and I'm behind a big-rig whose also on the ramp trying to merge...I'll get over into the travel lane ASAP and will signal the truck to pull in front of ME while I'm still a little behind him, running "interference".....The truckers generally appreciate the hell out of that.

Just trying to do my part.......

 

Some drivers are just total jerks about letting folks in (why are you in the right lane anyway?), some people slow down instead of speeding up when merging (my pet peeve). Can't we all just get along? The worst though are the guys behind you that try to "take your spot". Break out the road rage when that happens...

 

That's because they are people who only get from one place to another.
They are NOT real driver's or operators of a vehicle.
It is my belief that when you have a driver's license..

"You be the BEST driver you can be..regardless of anyone else"

This involves having the correct attitude and abilities when behind the wheel.

We ALL share the road so everyone should be at the same level of understanding because we ALL had to pass the generalized test to get it.

This is the main problem......Most People DON'T take driving seriously enough or understand/remember the laws and rules of the road.