Merging into traffic from faster through lane

[Anonymous]

We encounter this often, there will be an exit with traffic backed up for miles, but the next lane over is a through lane which has zero traffic so cars travel fast.

And of course there will be people who zoom past the long line of traffic and then force a merge into the front of the long line of traffic and cut in front of other people. To boot, they block through lane traffic while they are strong arming their merge!

I have always been riled up by this, and take a measure of Gandalf “You shall not pass” and follow closely behind the car in front of me and absolutely refuse to let scofflaws in. I’m a careful experienced driver with an old car, so I will keep a safe but unmergeable distance and will not back down from the line cutter who invariably has a much nicer and newer car.

The PROBLEM is my DD who is learning to drive shares the same fury at line cutters, and wants to act the same — keep close behind in traffic and not let people cut in. But she is not such a skilled driver that this is a smooth process — she is jerking the car back and forth trying to gauge the distance to not be merged off, and I worry her instincts for braking will not be fast enough if traffic stop and go pattern changes abruptly.

Perhaps I should have not been so vocal about my disdain for line cutters, as I wouldn’t have fostered the same ire in my offspring, but that ship has sailed.

Going forward, I tell her to keep a safe distance and just not get worked up if people cut in. Generally she is not driving rush hour to work or anything so a small delay is not impactful. But she has an oversized passion for fairness and justice, so letting people cut off her and everyone behind her will be a bitter pill.

Any advice how to handle this? Play Enya while driving and burn incense?

[Anonymous]

Eh. I share your disdain at the line cutters and definitely share your dd passion for fairness, but I really try to not play these games on the road. I try to stay in the mindset that I have a great life and family and really just want to get home to them safely, since you never know when you'll run into an armed road rager. And (this one is really hard some days LOL) I try to keep in mind that everyone is just doing their best to get home, to work, whatever. I've had to merge in last minute too and it wasn't because I think I'm special. I was exhausted, long day, taking a new route, missed my turn, running low on gas, I'm late, what do I have to throw in for dinner, etc etc etc. And it was really nice when some kind person just let me in so I could keep going.

[Anonymous]

they always do this on 495 N and then the exit to leesburg pike (exit 47). Everybody is going to tysons corner and the line is stacked on the left lane (exit 47A towards tysons corner) and then there are people speeding on the right lane (exit 47B towards falls church) and abruptly cut into the left lane when the fork comes. it used to be really bad in the summer but recently the line on the left hasnt been that bad so I dont mind as much. in the summer it was really bad.

[Anonymous]

This is how it is trying to exit 295N onto 50E in DC. But like - it's often impossible to get over any sooner, so I try to have grace.

[Anonymous]

I’ve always wondered—do the line cutters just think everyone waiting in the long line is doing it for fun? (I’m waiting for someone on here to explain how zipper merges work, but it is NOT a zipper merge.)
Anyway, my daughter is the same way, and I really practice just letting things go when she’s in the car. I talk to her about the fact that it just isn’t worth letting someone else get me riled up and that getting home safely is the most important thing. And I try to remember that even when she’s not in the car!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ve always wondered—do the line cutters just think everyone waiting in the long line is doing it for fun? (I’m waiting for someone on here to explain how zipper merges work, but it is NOT a zipper merge.)
Anyway, my daughter is the same way, and I really practice just letting things go when she’s in the car. I talk to her about the fact that it just isn’t worth letting someone else get me riled up and that getting home safely is the most important thing. And I try to remember that even when she’s not in the car!

PP. I thin they're banking on the fact that someone's most likely going to let them in, and those they cut off aren't going to do anything more than silently seethe.

[Anonymous]

I don’t leave a gap but if someone still insists on cutting in front of me I let them in. Don’t want the idiot to tailgate me in revenge

[Anonymous]

I'm not in the business of teaching people a lesson. I use my turn signals, try to get into the correct lane with plenty of time and don't tailgate. I also am pretty generous about "letting people in".

Sorry. I'm THAT guy. The one in the old blue Prius. Drinking decaf.

[Anonymous]

I do it myself 5 nights a week coming home from work.

I developed a technique I jump in turning lane bypassing traffic. I ride till end where I know people won’t let me in and always two or three cars trying to get in and no one will let then in. I have a small car. I go on shoulder around them, eventually one gets in but can time it right and I cut in front of the cutter. Or a person who just cuts lets me cut.

Usually I have it down so well I say 90 percent of time I do move without cutting anyone just doing it so smoothly.

I saw a study and people who do this speed flow of traffic. It works for me as I do a long drive home 5 nights a week. There are choke points I do it. I am cooking and know exactly what people are doing, looking at phone, looking at NAV. Taking. I see when gap will open. I am by myself. Not looking at map hace radio off.

I know where I am going. I never force my way in.

I can do my one hour trip on Waze in like 45 minutes

[Anonymous]

It’s dangerous to stop in the through lane to wait to try to get in, and if you do it early, you’re blocking the through lane for everyone behind you.

Usually what happens is people don’t realize what’s happening and then they’re traveling alongside a lane of slow/stopped cars looking for a way in without just stopping with no one in front of you and sitting there with your blinker on.

This happened to me the other day taking my daughter to a new activity on Bladensburg road. I’d never been that way at rush hour and I didn’t realize what was happening until I was already in the backup. But then if I had just stopped to get over “early” in the interest of waiting my turn, I would have blocked the whole left lane.

Even if you think people are just doing it to be jerks, once there are cars trying to merge you need to just zipper. People having Gandalf fantasies are just making it all worse for everyone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s dangerous to stop in the through lane to wait to try to get in, and if you do it early, you’re blocking the through lane for everyone behind you.

Usually what happens is people don’t realize what’s happening and then they’re traveling alongside a lane of slow/stopped cars looking for a way in without just stopping with no one in front of you and sitting there with your blinker on.

This happened to me the other day taking my daughter to a new activity on Bladensburg road. I’d never been that way at rush hour and I didn’t realize what was happening until I was already in the backup. But then if I had just stopped to get over “early” in the interest of waiting my turn, I would have blocked the whole left lane.

Even if you think people are just doing it to be jerks, once there are cars trying to merge you need to just zipper. People having Gandalf fantasies are just making it all worse for everyone.

And yes, I know it’s not a situation where everyone should stay in both lanes and zipper! But once someone is there and needs to merge, just do it and get it over with.