Arkansas Has To Post Signs To Educate Drivers On How To Properly Merge In Traffic--ALL States Should Follow Suit!
I saw this posted on Facebook and I realized that this is a common misconception when people are trying to merge onto a road into oncoming traffic from an access lane. Now I was taught early on how you are supposed to merge, and as a commuter of 64 miles one-way to work, I see this misconception all the time. Sometimes people will straddle the dotted lines to prevent people from getting ahead of them in line at such a merge point. I drive around them.
So this is what Arkansas is trying to get people to understand: Proper merging technique
The fact that they have to do this in construction zones does not surprise me since so many are ignorant of the traffic laws and driving techniques in the first place. To be clear, in all but ONE State, the highway/oncoming traffic has the right-of-way at the merge point (Illinois being the exception), in other words, YES , the merger MUST yield to oncoming traffic. This means that indeed, that line of cars in the picture has every right to deny the merger entrance into their lane. What is wrong with the picture is who is being called the " asshole ". When I travel in the right lane and I see a merge lane with traffic entering the roadway, I try to time it so I leave a gap for a car to get in ahead of me--or I speed up so they have a gap behind me, like I was taught in Drivers Ed way back when. This is true even when we are in stop-and-go traffic at a merge point. If everyone would practice common courtesy of using the " Zipper " technique like this, traffic could be a lot less stressful for ALL . Believe me when I say that extra 30ft you're allowing in front of you won't noticeably slow you down.
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By the way, to those that like to " straddle the line " you're breaking the law -- and I will go around you, and if you swerve over to cut me off, I will hit you, and sue you! I just love my dash cam!!!
aggressive drivers suck !
Take you aggression elsewhere I drive on the same roads.
PS: If you hit me intentionally you better call the cops quick ! Cause You will need their protection. ! I would see that as a personal attack on me and I would retaliate so quick !! Cars are not weapons but if you want to play that game .....
to serve and protect....LOL Better tell them to hurry !!!
Removed, CoC. (BT)
OK so the idea of ramming someone with your car intentionally is idiotic......................
Jesus what babies we have here.
So we agree that:
So the asshole swerving over to cut me off while lane straddling is doing exactly this, and you say:
And I'm right there with you when you state:
Uhm, you do see the irony in your statement/threats, right????
PS: If you hit me intentionally you better call the cops quick ! Cause You will need their protection. ! I would see that as a personal attack on me and I would retaliate so quick !! Cars are not weapons but if you want to play that game .....
OK so the idea of ramming someone with your car intentionally is idiotic......................
Jesus what babies we have here.
Pot, Meet Kettle
Some people can't see the kindred soul in the forest for the trees...
and some cant see the difference in defending and attacking.
attack me with your car I will defend myself and take you out anyway I see possible.
is NOT attacking you. Yet you claim you would attack them.
I would defend and/or attack back. , so would many of us.
LOL .... give me room uncensored and we'll see.
They are aiming a very large weapon in the direction of my vehicle and accelerating it. In what universe does this constitute not being an "attack"?When you charge at someone, it is an "attack". Don't believe me, ask any court! It doesn't matter if you hit the brakes before actually striking my vehicle or me, you've already attempted to cause me harm. What if your brakes failed and you couldn't stop after accelerating in front of or at me? Do you think "it was an accident" will get you out of prison? Not when there are so many witnesses to the fact that you were the first one to act aggressively (lane-straddling) and then compounded the illegal offense by attempting to attack me with your vehicle. Sorry, but in this Stand Your Ground state, I could probably shoot you and get off scot-free.
The best part of this whole conversation is you've already indicated that you too would engage in BOTH types of behavior; cutting someone off who is attempting to go around you if you were doing the lane-straddling, and responding with aggression if aggression is shown towards you. Yet somehow it is OK for you to act in an aggressive manner if someone is acting aggressively, but it isn't OK for someone else to have the same response in a similar situation.
There is a word for that. Here is your mastery of the vocabulary test question: What do you call someone who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings?
Isn't that the same thing I've been saying???
Y'all couldn't handle me uncensored.
Wait a minute; don't we have a Group fo these kinds of slap fights where we can get all "yo mama" on peoples asses???
People riding the middle attempting to keep people from cheating around them are not attacking anyone, they are trying to defend the right of way for the flow to keep moving. People attempting to push around the crowd are the assholes in this case. It's called wait your turn.
......................
And yes attack me I retaliate, most men I know do.
yeah I call it the back yard and NO ONE is ever there.
I think they call it the "heated discussion group" here but it might as well not even exist cause unless you're into talking to yourself it's a waste of time to go there.
I feel the same way. Unfortunately I know of no newsvine that allows that anymore.
That was one of the things I liked best about newsvine we could say whatever the fuck we wanted and no one poofed it. Heated discussions are a joke here....... poof rules the day instead.
Most of us here are adult enough to realize that yelling and shouting through a keyboard proves nothing but the juvenile leanings of those posting.....
Well aware of where the back yard is but usually twas the parking lot for me. Met some of my best friends in life there--after we beat the shit out of each other first, lol! Went back in and drank until closing afterwards. Nowadays, you're more likely to get shot just walking out the door. I've lost a total of three fights in my life; once in middle school, once to my big brother, and once when taking on a gang of 6 guys. 4 if you include the one where my bouncer and I took on 5 guys and won, and then they got in their car, drove up on the sidewalk and hit me with it breaking my leg in the process. You could reasonably call that ultimately losing the fight.
Possibly but perhaps most of you here also would rather not care to defend yourselves too much either. I actually prefer uncensored sites where anyone can say anything. The weak minded soon flee and you are left with strong minded people who dont mine defending their positions on their chosen ideology. The trolls are called on their crap and soon either ignored or driven off. God I miss newsvine !
Good point and an " Education " surely needed, But as the " court " you are aware that most courts are already " over booked " so care to tell me what that would do?
Not sure what you're asking here EA. Could you rephrase the question for me?
E.A Sure CT, Court time is apportioned according to " Need/Security/emergency , so a " Traffic infringement " rates where and what will be done if one is told that the " Vehicles have to be impounded till the court case " and that be say 3-6 years time?
Not in the case of Civil Liability, which is what I would be suing for if my car gets damaged by some jerk wjo is lane straddling trying to cut me off when I go around them.
E.A ok so the Insurance companies ( Worst case scenario ) do not settle, what next?
And as an aside, would they at times not want the vehicles to " not be used "?
How do you figure I'm the problem? Because I refuse to be essentially "bullied" by a lane straddler who threatens me with a very large and dangerous weapon? Sorry, but you better get used to the idea that not everyone allows themselves to become a victim of assholes...
How about reading up on "the Zipper" and find out Why you are supposed to merge this way:
The biggest problem with merging is lack of courtesy.
You think not knowing how to merge is a problem? Then don't ever try to drive in China:
This is one of a dozen bottlenecks I pass through in one commute:
LOL
You say that like cost is no object. As a civil engineer who has worked in transportation, that sort of transformation is measured in hundreds of trillions, if not thousands. As it stands, American infrastructure gets a D rating. The transportation industry is becoming increasingly privatized, because maintaining what we already have is so expensive. Public Private Partnerships survive by getting into your wallet even more than taxation does.
That picture is why I avoid the freeways all together. About the only time I do use one is to get to my doctor and that is only every 4 months.
Hence the reason it is actually called "spaghetti junction" by everyone including news reporters and traffic reporters.
Atlanta? I used to live in Cumming. Worked in Alpharetta. So glad I didn't have to go through that.
E.A Better still No Unnecessary Transportation!
I'm further out in Gainesville. Working smack dab in the middle of downtown at the Convention Center. You can guess what my drive is like during rush hour, lol!
I've always wanted some beat up old car to drive.
TO:
Push the maroon forward that hangs back, and won't get up to the light changing area at a traffic light.
Bump the Maroon that is texting , and doesn't notice the light changed.
Block the Maroon that has been texting, and decides they are going to cut you off, because they figured out, if they don't, they will miss their turn they missed because they were Fucking texting. Fucking Maroon didn't seem to see the next light 1 block away, that will allow him to make a u-turn to get back to where they were originally going to go. They would rather make your life miserable, instead of just going up the road a bit. God Forbid THEY should be put out !
Push the Maroon over, that has this need to block you from merging, because to be ahead of you will allow them get to where they are going....Fucking SECONDS sooner.
Push the Maroon that likes to drive 20 miles an hour slower than the speed limit....in the fucking middle lane of a highway. Doesn't matter that the right slow lane is friggin wide open. I pass those types on the right, then cut over really, really, really close to their front bumper..... ON PURPOSE ! You'll see them move over to the right slow lane after that.
Lol power to you but your insurance is gonna take a beating in most of those scenarios.
I'd find a way to blame the other driver.
Good luck to ya. Plse post about it and the rest of us can live vicariously through you
LOL !
That's my Christmas wish this year.
I'm so Christian.....ain't I ?
I hate those people. I live near an interstate that should be 6-lane, but only has 4, so when these assholes get at the front of a line of traffic in the left lane, going the same speed as the car beside them in the right lane and refusing to pass and GET BACK OVER, it can cause traffic to be bumper-to-bumper for miles at highway speeds. Nobody can get out of the pack, because the idiot up front is holding everybody prisoner. There is an "accident" (actually, an idiot-caused car crash) almost every day in our area on this interstate, sometimes causing traffic to come to a standstill for hours or half a day.
I refuse to travel that interstate on heavy traffic days, like before or after a holiday. It's hours of going 70 mph with someone right on my rear bumper, not able to maintain a safe distance from the car in front of me because somebody will force their car into any space I try to leave, knowing that if somebody hits the breaks we'll all be wrecked.
And if I can see the front of the traffic jam, it's two cars going the same speed side-by-side.
Well, now my blood pressure is up.
sorry !
I can actually "Feel" your pain.
Thanks. I get this way every year when I think about heading home for the holidays. Even though I now take an alternate route.
Some people are way too casual with their responsibilities as drivers.
No kidding.
E.A And why ,, I ask why should they not be? Should all driving be " stressful ? really?
I learned 4 seconds, but yeah, you're supposed to leave a cushion - the higher the speeds, the bigger the cushion. Nobody seems to understand the concept of the cushion.
And those people who pass just to get into that cushion. FFS, you got ONE car ahead in a line of thousands of cars. You shaved an entire 0.2 seconds off your travel time by being a dangerous asshole. Well done.
This was the bane of my existence for years when I had a two hour commute each way five days a week. I wanted to murder people.
I always let people in when merging or turning in from another road and traffic is backed up.
Seems like the courteous thing to do. I am grateful when a nice person does it for me.
E.A Bingo
" DO unto others what YOU want others to do Unto YOU " Brilliant!@ Only if more would practice THAT " what a wonderful world this would be.
Same here, or let them turn left from the oncoming lane when traffic going my way is sitting still. It's an easy way to alleviate traffic backups.
Nooo! cut them off, cut them all off! It's my road and mine only.