What really sets me off is people who would rather suffer the death of a thousand cuts or sell their children to a pedophile ring rather than let people merge in. I'm not talking about people who wait until the last minute and try to get in (I let them anyway), but the others. I suspect that with women it's a power thing, with men it's being hung like a hamster.

Thanks for allowing me to vent. I approve this message.

This sort of behavior is somewhat regional in nature. In the South it is pretty customary to let one car in to merge. If it is after a major sporting event where people are consuming alcohol all bets are off. It is also customary to give a thank you wave to someone who lets you into traffic. In the city it helps to have a POS car to merge into traffic.

I'm shocked if someone waves thank you to me while we're on the road. I always do it, though.

quote:

Originally posted by BrianC:
What really sets me off is people who would rather suffer the death of a thousand cuts or sell their children to a pedophile ring rather than let people merge in. I'm not talking about people who wait until the last minute and try to get in (I let them anyway), but the others. I suspect that with women it's a power thing, with men it's being hung like a hamster.

Thanks for allowing me to vent. I approve this message.

I will let you in but if there is 400m behind me and you want in....screw off, especially in the snow, I leave a safe distance in front of me.....instead of taking the huge spot behind me you push into my safe distance = asshole

For most people like me, it depends.

The differentiator for me is if the other person thinks he's being slick in some way.

I don't mind late mergers, I think that's the proper way to go and merge zipper fashion. People who don't allow alternating cars to merge are dicks.

But if the lane you're on is set to turn right only and you're speeding up to cut in at the last minute, I'm going to keep pace with the car in front of me. I'm not going to reward you for your actions by letting you get ahead of the line.

On the other hand, when I'm doing something similar, I pace and take advantage of the normal lag people have coming from a stop to go and squeeze in without you having to step on your brakes.

If you're in a bind, I find establishing eye contact usually gets the other person to acknowledge your humanity and let you in.

Is that you in the red car? Hey man, I'm sorry. I did what I could to facilitate your merge. I slowed down to 10mph under the posted speed limit. I'm towing a 38' trailer and there's traffic next to me, so I can't move over.



I do what I can, but at some point the merger has to decide to fish or cut bait. After numerous occurrences like the one above, I've decided to maintain course and speed and let the person merging try to figure it out. Even then, mergers get pissy and honk their horns, give me the WTF look, flash their lights, etc.

For me, it all depends on if the car wanting to merge uses their turn signal. If the signal is on=come on in: if there is no signal=I'm not letting you in. Plain & simple. Law is to use signal for lane change.

Under no circumstances let anyone get ahead of you in traffic. Just show them who's boss. run them off the road if necessary. kill them. That will show them.... some people drive like frickin 2 year olds

quote:

Originally posted by nasig:
Under no circumstances let anyone get ahead of you in traffic. Just show them who's boss. run them off the road if necessary. kill them. That will show them.... some people drive like frickin 2 year olds

BEST RESPONSE OF THE DAY!

quote:

Originally posted by MagicHorse:
For me, it all depends on if the car wanting to merge uses their turn signal. If the signal is on=come on in: if there is no signal=I'm not letting you in. Plain & simple. Law is to use signal for lane change.

You'd never survive in Massachusetts, MagicHorse!

It all depends on the situation. On a highway merge I'll get over if possible to allow them to enter the highway easier. If I have traffic in the other lane, too bad, they can adjust to merge.
The ones I do not allow to merge under any circumstance are the dickheads that pass a "right lane closed ahead" sign for three miles and decide they will pass everyone up that has gotten into the left lane so they can get to the front of the line. Fuck off and eat a big dick, I'll ride you door to door until you run out of road.

Most folks that are trying to jam their way in at the last moment are already driving like idiots.

I'd prefer to have them in front of me rather than behind. Yes, I profile people/cars/styles all day while driving and try to avoid being in front of likely candidates to rear end me. I've go so far as to pull over in a lot and let a tailgater with a phone in their face while it's raining go on by. 43 seconds and some piece of mind for me.

Never fails to amaze me. Here in Michigan on and off ramps are often the same lane. So why would you stack up on each other on the slooow curve that becomes an on ramp when drivers are leaving the highway at 75 mph? Never took physics in high school?

The only time I do not like to let people merge is when there are signs for miles that a lane is closed. Then you have people who do not get over. They go zipping by people who are bumper to bumper in the lane that is open, so they can cut in front of the people who have been there for a while.
That ticks me off.

Otherwise I let people merge in and have no problem with it.

Best incident of this type I ever saw was in Germany.

Driving on the authbahn, fair amount of traffic. Signs for about 2 or 3 miles (KM) about the left lane ending due to construction.

Idiot comes screaming up in that left lane, passing everybody, clearly breaking the posted speed limit. He gets to the sign across that lane, and wonder of wonders a Cop steps out from behind the sign and pulls the guy over.

Asshole gets out of his car, starts to give the cop some shit. No harm no foul. Then the asshole raises his hand up to face level.

Cop pulls out his loaded sap, slaps dipshit up side his head. Traffic stops to observe as the load up the asshole in the police van and take him away. Lots of German "high-fiving" going on.

quote:

Originally posted by BrianC:

quote:

Originally posted by MagicHorse:
For me, it all depends on if the car wanting to merge uses their turn signal. If the signal is on=come on in: if there is no signal=I'm not letting you in. Plain & simple. Law is to use signal for lane change.

You'd never survive in Massachusetts, MagicHorse!

My brother lived in Boston for several years. He said using a turn signal was a sign of weakness!

When he came back to Cincinnati to visit, I couldn't believe how aggressively he drove.

If you already merged 3 miles before the merge point and people are passing you by, you're doing it wrong. I merge at the merge point and not sooner. It's called a zipper merge and it's the most efficient and fair way to to handle lanes that are shut down for whatever reason. It's the preferred method of many state DOTs.

quote:

Originally posted by Georgeair:
Most folks that are trying to jam their way in at the last moment are already driving like idiots.

I'd prefer to have them in front of me rather than behind. Yes, I profile people/cars/styles all day while driving and try to avoid being in front of likely candidates to rear end me. I've go so far as to pull over in a lot and let a tailgater with a phone in their face while it's raining go on by. 43 seconds and some piece of mind for me.

We think alike. That’s me, except in NYC. NYC is a unique experience where if you signal you may as well put in park and walk because openings exist for the briefest of moments and you can either take advantage or signal your intention and watch them disappear.

If you actually use the onramp to get up to freeway speed I'm more than happy to let you in. But if you coast down the onramp and expect me to slow down to let you in, eff right off.

People that don’t know how to merge is more the problem...if I have my cruise control set at 65-70 down the freeway it’s not my responsibility to slow down so you can merge ... you either need to speed up or slow down to merge because I’m going the same speed I’ve been going for the last X amount of miles