New law I missed??? Merging traffic?

[sandman2234]

I drive a tractor trailer, but I am sure many of you experience the same problems when towing your tractors from place to place, if you venture out onto the interstate system.
Since I tend to drive with the slower part of the traffic flow, I generally hang out in the right lane of the Interstate while doing my job. I do have a truck capable of left lane speeds, but that takes fuel and my boss appreciates it when I keep my fuel mileage up. Staying in the right lane tends to have it's problems, with people going slower, but that is ok. The other problem I have noticed is merging traffic. Over the years, as a courteous driver, I tend to notice that the better drivers try to move over for merging traffic, partly from courteous and the other because if they don't, they will get slowed down from them, which isn't something we making a living (or paying for the fuel) want. So we move over as cars come up the acceleration ramps. However, if a vehicle is in the left lane next to us, invisible to the merging vehicle, it isn't possible for us to move over. In the last few years I have noticed vehicle (ok, CAR!!) drivers coming up the ramp and NEVER looking until they are at the end of the ramp. If the truck driver hasn't had the courtesy, the room, or just the inclination to move over, the CAR!! has to jam on their brakes and wait for an opening in traffic to go from a dead stop into 70mph traffic. After pulling out in front of somebody else, the next thing they do is chase the truck down, pass them, and wave frantically with one finger, or better yet, pull over in front of them and SLAM on the brakes, causing the trucker to HAVE to slow down for them. (upsetting the load, the driver, and possible killing the CAR driver, reactions)
I have heard that there are laws on the books in some states (rumored to be CT for one, but not wanting to pick on CT) but did somebody pass a law in the states of Fl, GA, Al, Tn that I didn't know about??? I realize that courtesy should have the vehicles on the interstate move over, but what happened to people LOOKING as they started entering the acceleration ramp for a place to merge into, and adjusting their speed to meet that spot in traffic? And are these "non-looker's" the people who recipocate to us truck drivers by refusing to give us a break as we try to merge into traffic? Trust me, it takes a LOT more to get a truck onto an Interstate than a car, especially if the truck is loaded! Moving over to allow a car onto the interstate takes a little more than most people would think, because we have to find an opening large enough to put almost a hundred foot long vehicle in, without making the faster vehicle traveling in that lane mad at the same time. So we have to judge it's speed as well as room to move over, and don't forget the trucks blind spot needs to be checked (ANY OF YOU THAT HAVE BEEN ALMOST RUN OVER BY A TRUCK CHANGING LANES CAN ATTEST TO THAT BLIND SPOT!) So the easiest thing to do for all involved would be the merging driver simply look ahead and increase their speed to merge into traffic, like the laws I learned under dictate.
In case any of you haven't figured it out...Rant off.
David from jax

 

[CinderSchnauzer]

I'm more likely to move to the left for trucks / motor homes than for cars, but as you stated depends on other traffic.

That aside, I feel the onus is on the vehicle attempting to merge to do so safely AND to do so without expecting those already on the highway to get out of their way. Unfortunately, as you have noted it seems a majority of the merging vehicles feel it is their right to just pull in when / as they want and that other traffic should get out of their way or slow down so they themselves are not inconvenienced.

Having said that I find it extremely annoying and potentially dangerous when I'm the one trying to merge, the oncoming vehicle stays in the right lane and is close enough I don't want to cut in front, so I proceed to slow down so I can merge in behind. What does he do - starts to slow down as well, and stays in the right lane. Now we are both half stopped, the merge lane is running out and I have to really accelerate to get in the right lane ahead of him before the merge lane runs out.

Yes he was trying to be courteous, simply having him maintain his speed etc would have worked a lot better for both of us and for following traffic.

 

[sandman2234]

I'm more likely to move to the left for trucks / motor homes than for cars, but as you stated depends on other traffic.

That aside, I feel the onus is on the vehicle attempting to merge to do so safely AND to do so without expecting those already on the highway to get out of their way. Unfortunately, as you have noted it seems a majority of the merging vehicles feel it is their right to just pull in when / as they want and that other traffic should get out of their way or slow down so they themselves are not inconvenienced.

Having said that I find it extremely annoying and potentially dangerous when I'm the one trying to merge, the oncoming vehicle stays in the right lane and is close enough I don't want to cut in front, so I proceed to slow down so I can merge in behind. What does he do - starts to slow down as well, and stays in the right lane. Now we are both half stopped, the merge lane is running out and I have to really accelerate to get in the right lane ahead of him before the merge lane runs out.

Yes he was trying to be courteous, simply having him maintain his speed etc would have worked a lot better for both of us and for following traffic.

Let a loaded truck driver slow down for the merging vehicle and see what he does to the flow of traffic behind him as he takes the mile or so to get back up to speeds!
I hear what your saying, and totally agree, but apparently it isn't you that waved at me, lol!! I had a Blue Honda Accord passenger wave at me in Cartersville, Ga with tinted windows, and I ignored it, to a point that they rolled the window down and did it again just to make sure I saw. Way too much effort to show just how stupid they are.
David from jax

 

[Skyco]

The person getting on has to yield is what I've always known.
I noticed a couple of years ago that SC no longer has yield signs on the acceleration lane/on ramps though...budget? Don't know but I think many younger drivers have NO IDEA they are the ones that must yield when getting on.
I do move over if I can, but frequently can't because of traffic to my left. I will not brake to let someone on who planned poorly though. We all know the ones, go down the whole ramp at 30 then get upset when they can't merge into 70 mph traffic:confused3:
I've actually considered placing a home made sign on the ramp I use every day that says "What part of ACCELERATION lane do you not understand?"

 

[Hematite]

Unfortunately, because people have yielded their right of way to make it easier for vehicles to merge, now some people expect it. In some cases, as pointed out above, that is impossible because of traffic. It doesn't change the expectations, however.

Fact is, it is up to the merging vehicles to merge safely with the vehicles that have the right of way not the other way around. Along with many other aspects of our society, the quality of drivers on the road has also gone down noticeably and their self importance has gone up, leading to road rage when they are not treated the way they expect to be. I do notice that they are very quick to display the number of their IQ with their finger, though.

 

[jeffster]

Totally agree with skyco about slow cars. The freeway speed is 70 where I am at and I kid you not, some lady was in front of me a couple days ago (and a number of cars were behind me) and managed to get up to a whopping 40mph as she merged. So now you have 5 or 6 cars trying to get on a busy freeway all doing 40. Just awesome way to get someone killed. I haven't been that mad in a long time.

 

[westcliffe01]

European law is the opposite: Anyone in the right lane HAS TO allow someone coming down the on ramp to enter the right lane. The vehicle on the on ramp has right of way. If you cut someone off, it will cost you your drivers license.

The result is that people do not merge so fearfully and actually speed up as they go down the on ramp.

This particular issue was the single biggest "culture shock" item I experienced when I moved to the US in 2003. It seemed that everyone, no matter what they were driving absolutely 100% had to speed up so that they could cut you off when you were trying to merge, including semi drivers. It seems a national past time to see who can out accelerate each other in doing this. I personally think it is the primary reason why Americans favor big motors (dragsters), since the speed limit is otherwise 70 or in a very few states 75mph on the interstates. Go to Europe and many autobahns allow unlimited speeds yet most people drive cars with engines half the size. Can you imagine what would happen in germany with people doing 130 to 170mph and not yielding to someone trying to merge in the right lane ? Carnage is the word and they have known that for a long time.

It is long overdue that this stupid law be changed here in the US to give right of way to the "weaker party" (the one merging) and those already on the highway simply have to plan ahead when they see a merging lane coming up.

 

[Bird]

You guys are talking about one of my pet peeves.:laughing: I live within sight of I-35E which has too much traffic now and they're working on plans to more than double its size, but I don't expect that to happen in my lifetime. But so many cars come onto the freeway slowly causing other traffic to slow down, then once the idiot is completely on the freeway he/she will speed up to at least 10 mph over the limit if traffic allows.

This also always reminds me of my wife learning to drive. Even though she was 21 when I met her, she'd never driven and didn't get her license until we'd been married over a year. So in teaching her to drive, I guess I kind of stressed accelerating pretty rapidly to get onto freeways. We had a 1966 Ford sedan with a 289 cu. in. engine. Then in 1968, I traded for a new Plymouth Road Runner. I came home from work the first day she'd used it and she and a neighbor lady who had gone shopping with her were both sitting in the living room. I asked my wife how she liked that new car and she said it was real nice, "but when I went to get onto Central Expressway it made a funny noise". The other lady looked astonished and said, "That was your rear tires. I thought you knew what you were doing!" I reckon she accelerated briskly enough.

 

[jeffsw6]

If the police spent more time giving traffic tickets to people who are actually doing dangerous things, and a little less citing people for going 10 MPH over the speed limit when there is no traffic and no hazard, I think our roads would be much safer. How many people do you know who habitually tail-gate, don't use their turn signals, etc. and how many of those have EVER been stopped and cited for those things? The problem with peoples' unsafe driving habits is the police doing a bad job of enforcing the laws IMO.

 

[sparc]

If the police spent more time giving traffic tickets to people who are actually doing dangerous things, and a little less citing people for going 10 MPH over the speed limit when there is no traffic and no hazard, I think our roads would be much safer. How many people do you know who habitually tail-gate, don't use their turn signals, etc. and how many of those have EVER been stopped and cited for those things? The problem with peoples' unsafe driving habits is the police doing a bad job of enforcing the laws IMO.

You hit the nail on the head with those comments.

This is a significant part of the problem...AND a contributor to higher insurance rates in your state. When people don't know the rules of the road and the MV laws of the state are not enforced, there are more accidents and that results in higher rates even for good drivers because insurance companies factor in accident rates in your area when they calculate your rates. So the cop who lets a bad driver off the hook or doesn't stop them at all does us all a disservice in my opinion.