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drivers who try to bypass the line and cut in

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close the gap or let them cut in front of you?

  • close the gap

  • let them cut

  • agressive driver-close the gap, old person-let them cut in


Results are only viewable after voting.
People around here like to leave ~17 car lengths between each other, and slowly roll off from a stop as if they might be slightly dead.

I take every opportunity to go around them. The catch is that I always get back into traffic without 'help' from anyone else.

Now, when some Slowass McDumbfuck tries to do the same maneuver, but is too fucking stupid to get back over, and instead blocks me...that's how motherfuckers end up dead.
Whoa there, dick stain. There's way too much badassery in your post. Dial it back, brony*.











*no offense to real bronies, with whom I've lumped this colostomy bag.
 
3s8qv7.jpg

So was pretty close to an accident that closed all southbound lanes on I-85 last night and was stuck there about an hour and a half with no movement what-so-ever. I approached very soon after it happened, so all lanes were stopping around me simultaneously. I immediately moved left another lane knowing that the left-most lanes would likely be the first to open but I got packed in as soon as I moved over so I had to sit right there with zero movement for over an hour and a half.

When traffic finally started budge, of course, the vehicles around me which weren't lucky enough to move over began signaling their intent. I hadn't even moved yet when my coworker alerted me to someone attempting to get in my lane before I was even aware of it, but he did it by saying "what is this idiot doing?! Does she actually think you're going to let her in?!" She did nothing wrong. She was right beside me the whole time and stopped the same time all lanes stopped and yet my coworker was acting like she was one of these offenders. When I answered "Of course I am going to let her in," he was dumb-founded. When I explained that mergers would just keep all lanes jammed despit the opening unless we treated this like a zipper and merge at almost an interleave, he still didn't understand. When I explained that I myself may have to get over because I still wasn't in the left-most lane and don't yet know if I need to be, he still didn't seem to understand. Very shortly, I did have to merge left and was very gracious when someone let me in. He STILL didn't understand that our situation was identical to hers except one lane over.

Some people just can't imagine themselves in other people's shoes and lack the empathy required to make things easier for everyone.
 
^ Yes but on the other hand most people will speed up to block you off when they see your blinker.... idk why but pretty much everyone does this in Northern Virginia.

Yes.... sadly... But there are the occasional people such as myself and you that will come to a complete stop until they can fully let themselves in instead of them having to continue playing guessing games of "Are they going to let me in?? Is there enough space???"

I definitely know what you are talking about. People are such assholes.
 
I just let them in and leave them space so they don't sideswipe me and I don't rear-end them. When I was just starting to drive, I probably cut into a line a few times because I was new to driving to highways and was missing my exits and didn't realize what a small deal missing an exit was.
 
Traffic studies have shown that zipper merging is the most effective way to handle a closing lane.

Zipper merge vs. early merge

When most drivers see the first “lane closed ahead” sign in a work zone, they slow too quickly and move to the lane that will continue through the construction area. This driving behavior can lead to unexpected and dangerous lane switching, serious crashes and road rage.

Zipper merging, however, benefits individual drivers as well as the public at large. Research shows that these dangers decrease when motorists use both lanes until reaching the defined merge area and then alternate in “zipper” fashion into the open lane. Watch a brief video of how it works.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCLF2tyW0TU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcPby71TNC0

http://arstechnica.com/cars/2014/07/the-beauty-of-zipper-merging-or-why-you-should-drive-ruder/
http://www.dot.state.mn.us/zippermerge/

early_merge.gif


zipper_merge_m2.gif


Studies by the Texas Transportation Institute, Minnesota Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration have shown that the zipper merge (thus named because both lanes are used and drivers take turns merging one car at a time, like the teeth of a zipper) improves traffic flow by as much as 15 percent, according to the Detroit News. MnDOT also found it reduces the total length of a backup by as much as 50 percent, and commonly by 40 percent.

"Although motorists seem to believe that a single lane of traffic flowing into a work zone should flow through unrestricted and much faster without a slowdown for merging traffic, this just does not happen in the real world of traffic hazards," MnDOT says. "Motorists slow down because of the uncertainty of the drivers' actions ahead, poor visibility beyond, signs/drums/barricades and (other obstructions). That slows down the rest of the line of traffic, and the longer the queue, the more it slows down and a longer time before it regains speed."

So go ahead and jump ahead!!
 
I make some pretty sharp cuts sometimes but in those situations, I've normally exhausted my patients and give plenty of warning by honks or turn signal. But I'm not a fan of the zipper method.

It still as ass move most of the time, but the person you cut doesn't get to prove he is an ass.
 
I usually let them cut in. Life is too short for something as trivial as merging. However, it they forced their way in, I'd just hit them. No need to slam on my brakes and cause an accident with the person behind me.

One time, traffic was zipper merging from two lanes into one, and this lady to my left didn't want to let me merge. There was a line of cars in both lanes slowly merging, and I guess she didn't want to drive behind a large vehicle. So she was driving about 2-3 feet from the driver in front, and guess what happened? The driver in front slammed on her brakes, and the lady behind slammed into her. That was a good day. heh heh heh ~evil laugh~
 
When two lanes merge into one, close the gap for sure. You always see people trying to cut ahead in that right lane and they damn well know it ends. Just slows everyone else down.

Says who? Certainly none of the studies I've seen from various sources. You may want to look up zipper merging if you wish to have an informed opinion
 
Here during rush hour we get lines for freeway exits. I UNDERSTAND when someone misses the very back of the line - maybe you had to get over a few lanes first and couldn't make the very back of the line (because holy shit there are lines that are VERY LONG). All the while, the rest of the freeway is going 60mph and the line to exit is going 0-5mph. It sucks balls.

If you miss the end of the line and just trying to make it in, I'll cut you some slack. If you're trying to just cut your way in after passing people in the line (IE: Go to the front of the line) I will not fucking let you in. I will let you hit my car before I let you in. So many people do this it is ridiculous. It's very easy to tell if someone is trying to do one or the other.

People try and pull this crap after construction too. Play the stupid card for a little while, but after a month or so I still see assholes doing it. And it's dangerous too because they sit blocking a lane that's moving close to freeway speeds. But I don't care - your fault if someone slams into going 65mph - you're not getting in.
 
A lot of morons here need to learn how to drive. The lane ends where it ends. Why would you merge before it ends? Some of you are the kind of idiots who will keep a merge point moving further and further back until it's a single lane for half a mile with a lane totally unused.
 
Depends on my mood. Generally if somebody closes the gap I get great pleasure out of deciding to force myself in front of the car in front of THEM. it's a big F-you. Sometimes I let people in,sometimes not, depends on mood and whether I think they are being rude.
 
Are we talking about passing the line in a traffic lane or doing it on the shoulder? On the shoulder they're being pricks, have no problem blocking them.

But too many bungholes don't know how to drive and start merging way before the actual merge point. Use the whole lane until the merge point, that's what it's there for.

Good point, there are variable's involved here, if it's because of an accident I will let someone in, if it's a known lane merge and some zip-head goes 25 MPH over the speed limit to dash to the merge point then fuck no, stay put you self-important ignorant asswipe.
 

Wholehearted agree.

Although everyone has to do their part in this. One to one ratio only don't be the jerk that rides a guy's tail to do a 2 to 1 merge ratio.

Then everything works perfectly. I let people who want to do a 2 to 1 merge in anyways.... this is such a stupid conflict to have with the world that I choose to not get worked up about it. It costs me no time at all to let one car in.
 
A lot of morons here need to learn how to drive. The lane ends where it ends. Why would you merge before it ends? Some of you are the kind of idiots who will keep a merge point moving further and further back until it's a single lane for half a mile with a lane totally unused.

I don't know if It's just me, but we have freeway exit lanes (Freeway exit -> Freeway #2) that get heavily backed up, there is no "lane end" merger, so I'm not talking about it in that regard.
 
unfortunately, only 18% of people who voted in the poll here agree. (not including fence sitters who chose the third option).

If anandtech was traffic, there would be a LOT of road rage.
 
The people at the merge point usually have their defenses down, that's when you strike.

In all honesty, I don't consider that being a jerk, I consider that taking advantage of opportunity. On my commute there is a very LONG merge lane onto a 4 lane road that is usually moving quite slow/stopped. Inexplicably, people will STOP at the START of the merge lane. No you idiot, there's a reason the merge lane is this long! So I pass them and head up to the point where traffic starts flowing again, then cut in. It's much more efficient for everyone to merge into flowing traffic, than to stop and try to merge into stopped traffic.
 
I pulled into a turn lane today that had a huge separation from the lanes that continued on ahead (area marked with diagonal lines). I watched as the car I was traveling behind pulled up to the light and, completely oblivious to me being behind them earlier, assumed the turn lane was empty since it was when they had just approached it. The handicapped driver just changed his/her mind about going forward and decided to turn left without using the turn lane, stopping right in front of me when I had my opportunity to go and cutting me off. I could tell that the geezer was still oblivious to me and only focusing on the oncoming traffic that he/she was already perpendicular to. When another opportunity came up, I had to let this jerk driving a Cadillac take it even though I had plenty of room to go around. Why? Because I didn't know yet if the person was ultimately turning left or making a U-turn and we had not yet made eye contact. The person could have turned right into me and have never seen me, so I had to give up two opportunities and take the third.

As expected, the jerk pulls into the same fast food place as me, but then stops the car right inside of the entrance, forcing me to stop again. Clearly, this idiot is still completely oblivious to anyone who might be behind. Because the spaces to the right were unoccupied, there was plenty of room for me to pass but the idiot started moving (well, creeping) as soon as I started around. I could see damage on the right side of the vehicle, so it is clear to me that this person shouldn't even be on the road. Now I had to beat this creeping person around the corner and to the drive thru entrance, so I dropped it in 1st gear and chirped some tires to get back to my rightful place. So clueless was this idiot that he/she probably just thought I came in there driving crazy like that out of nowhere. There was no indication what-so-ever that this person was ever aware of me until we were pulling in the drive thru, so he/she has no idea he/she cut me off and is probably fuming that some crazy person cut him/her off.
 
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