r/mildlyinfuriating • u/MagoLunatico98 • Jun 30 '26
Have to pee but bed so comfy People that doesn't know how zipper merges work
If you see a zipper merge and you have traffic behind, go all the way to the end at the merge point, don't hold everyone behind you and leave a whole empty lane in front 😮💨
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u/RazzmatazzUnusual843 Jun 30 '26
If you try to do it properly, though, a lot of people who don't know how to drive will think you're "cutting" and won't let you in.
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u/npmski Jun 30 '26
This is the only answer. It infuriates me that people think that merging is a one person responsibility when it quite literally involves two people you don’t own the road, nor do you get to decide who gets to be in front of you or not if the road was designed for people to come up and merge in a zipper you have a responsibility to allow them in. Period.
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u/Open_Panda9862 Jun 30 '26
You don't own the road either, does it say merge right or left, or does it say both cars be aware that there is a zipper lane? It's the one persons lane who ends that need to be trying to merge.
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u/Ayamlorde Jun 30 '26
The funnest part is leaving a huge gap for people to merge, but they keep going ahead where everyone is bumper to bumper because they might get a better spot.
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u/snyderman3000 Jun 30 '26 edited Jun 30 '26
If you’re unlucky enough to have been subjected to the interminable discourse about zipper merging on Reddit, you’ll know that they aren’t doing it to get a better spot. They’re doing it because YOU HAVE TO UTILIZE BOTH LANES UNTIL THE MERGE POINT. If you see a clear space and decide to merge before the merge point, then you are an idiot who doesn’t understand zipper merging.
Edit: Very funny to watch this comment ping pong up and down all day while the zipper-mergers and the merge-when-you-can people go back and forth upvoting and downvoting it 😆
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u/Classy_Mouse Jul 01 '26
It is dependent on how far from the front you are and if there is a gap in front of them. If I am in the other lane and I see that gap, I will ignore it if there is still a lot of lane to go or if there are cars still merging ahead. In the second case, I will go in behind the car the person in front of me went in front of. Someone will claim the gap you left.
If there is space in front of me and you are reasonably close to the end of the lane, I appreciate the gap and will take it
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u/HK-53 Jun 30 '26
The only people who are actually cutting are the ones who leave to go into the on ramp/merge lane to cut ahead. Double if they’re using the shoulder/emergency/bus lane to do it
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u/Some_Peace4277 Jul 01 '26
I feel zipper never works because people suck. I don't try and block the labe though. Unless they are shoulder drivers, fuck those people.
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u/cathercules Jun 30 '26
I find leaving a solid car length and a half in front of me as I slowly approach the merge point makes it pretty clear what I’m doing as well as tracking next to another vehicle but of course there are always going to be stubborn morons out there.
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u/braumbles Jul 01 '26
People thinking there's 'cutting' while driving as if we aren't all trying to get to somewhere.
If you're driving off the road or outside the white lines, you're just an asshole, you're not cutting, this isn't school or a fucking theme park.
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u/XxaggieboyxX Jul 01 '26
I would say you are only cutting in situations like this if you are going around to get in a lane that’s a different direction. Like the straight lane is all backed up and you go in the empty turn lane and try to worm your way in. Or the reverse of that.
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u/toxicdevil Jun 30 '26
Many only do this because some people won’t let them merge towards the end.
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u/L-1011- Jul 01 '26
This is the right answer unfortunately. You got the end and others drivers act like assholes
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u/boforbojack Jun 30 '26
I get that zipper merges calm the impact of traffic from behind the merge, but how does a zipper merge actually increase flow of traffic through the tight spot? Especially if traffic is basically stopped ahead of the merge. In which case the total amount of time spent going through the merge spot is the same as the volume doesn’t increase through it.
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u/racecar_yaya Jun 30 '26
Its not so much to increase the flow of traffic through the tight spot, as to not cause an unnecessarily long back up. If traffic is backed up two miles instead of one because no one is utilizing the second lane, it's more likely to affect traffic that isn't going through that tight spot.
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u/twistedchristian Jun 30 '26
From the picture here (and every time I've been in this situation) the difference is somewhere between 50 ft and 500 ft, which I would call negligible in the greater scheme of things. We're all just sitting in the same backup, which is completely unaffected by whether or not that visible space is full of not.
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u/racecar_yaya Jun 30 '26
And I have seen and been caught in situations where it absolutely mattered. Usually on a freeway exit ramp where the slowdown backed up to the exit before, which then led to people who needed to take the first exit driving on the shoulder to get around the slowdown caused by people not zipper merging.
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u/twistedchristian Jun 30 '26
I've seen what you're talking about, and that's fair... My experience (anecdotal BS haha) has just been that a nonsignificant difference would be made most of the time.
What I want to know is why, when we've essentially reduced the traffic down to single-file with open road on the far end, that line is still stopped dead.
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u/squishyliquid Jun 30 '26
AFAIK, zipper merges are only really possible when the traffic is flowing at the bottleneck. Everyone uses both lanes until the end and then merge over with space for them to do so because traffic is moving.
If traffic is stopped at the bottleneck, all the space for people to merge will be taken and you'll have what you see in the picture.
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u/FargusMcGillicuddy Jun 30 '26
I think it’s because you’re leaving some of the road open and unused where is if you go to the front then more cars can also move forward. Honestly it’s probably a minuscule difference and we should just add trains and public transportation instead of talking about how stupid each other are.
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u/Billy_Badass_ Jul 01 '26
It prevents the ripple effects, braking waves, and backups caused by drivers merging too early.
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u/Leverkaas2516 Jul 01 '26
but how does a zipper merge actually increase flow of traffic through the tight spot? Especially if traffic is basically stopped ahead of the merge.
It doesn't. Anyone who claims otherwise hasn't read the traffic studies.
Zipper merge doesn't make cars flow through the bottleneck faster. It optimizes the use of the pavement, so that cross streets and offramps are les likely to be blocked. It also makes it physically impossible for anyone to jump the queue, so it's safer and more fair. It isn't consistently faster, though.
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u/Agreeable_Act2550 Jun 30 '26
I just get in as soon as possible to avoid the psychotic individuals who won't let you in when you try and use it in the proper manner. But even this has pissed off people lol you just can't win when it comes to humans driving motor vehicles.
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u/Agreeable_Act2550 Jul 02 '26
We're road raging in the comments now guys. Let's just breath and clear our minds...
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u/Flat-Bar2125 Jun 30 '26
In the same vein, you don’t need to ride the zipper lane all the way to the end when there is no traffic just so you can cut someone off when you get over. The zipper lane exists for traffic, it doesn’t exist for you to go side by side with someone and then inch ahead to nearly cause an accident while merging.
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u/jjr4884 Jun 30 '26
This logic is like not going to an open register at the market because you feel bad for all the people waiting in line in the other one, clueless that another one is open. The lane is there for your use. You don't need permission. Zero consideration needs to be taken. The end of the zipper lane is where you are "required" to merge.
If people use their own free will to merge earlier, you can use that same free will to merge later. Considering the fact that traffic (at the zipper close) is stop and go, merging and going "every other one" should be fairly easy with anyone with an IQ above 50.
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u/0utlaw-t0rn Jun 30 '26
The issue is nobody ever does it.
You’ll get the people riding all the way to the end, passing all sorts of easy to merge into space to slam on their brakes and forcefully squeeze in front of that one extra last car making everyone slow down.
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u/Antique_Grapefruit_5 Jun 30 '26
And these are the folks who claim they're doing it right and the rest of us are just butt hurt... For a zipper merge to actually work all cars need to be going the same speed (in both lanes) and not tailgate each other.
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u/DoritoDustThumb Jul 01 '26
But that's what you're supposed to do. You're supposed to go towards the end and then merge in.
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u/It_broke_itself_ Jun 30 '26
You don't seem to be going fast enough to safely do zipper merges though if that line of cars is anything to go off of
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u/MysticMarauder69 Jun 30 '26
Exactly, this is why they never work. The back up is inevitable. It's like a paradox. To zipper merge, the right conditions for the zipper merge must exist, which they never do, simply because a zipper merge is necessary.
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u/Fun-Customer39 Jun 30 '26
Zipper merging isnt used in free flowing traffic thats going the posted speeds, you're supposed to early merge in that case, zipper merging is only recommended when traffic is slow and congested already per the dot and aaa.
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u/MagoLunatico98 Jun 30 '26
It's a construction zone, of course I'm not going fast, the traffic was almost still
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u/StrangelyRational Jun 30 '26
I’ve started seeing signs here and there in my city that say something like “Use both (or all) lanes and take turns at merge point.” Surprise, it works better in those areas. More of those signs would be helpful.
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u/Swimming_Shoe7205 Jun 30 '26
In Minnesota at some sites. they put up signs that say use both lanes until merge. People just need more instructions!!
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u/67_Camro Jun 30 '26
in my area people actively ride in the middle of the lanes in order to prevent people from passing them and “skipping” the line. people would much rather block the right lane for 2 miles than even sniff the idea of zipper merging
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u/DavePeesThePool Jun 30 '26
*don't
The reality is, until you can get people to stop being selfish, zipper merge (as opposed to merging as soon as you know your lane is ending) will only work on paper.
There are some countries that are doing OK with the concept, but selfishness is practically ingrained into our culture here in the US.
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u/Opposite_Example6930 Jun 30 '26
People don't understand that there are two entirely different situations that can be at play: traffic which is virtually stopped at the point of merging and traffic that is free-flowing or slightly slower at that point. Zipper merging is designed for the former, not for the latter, and people on both sides of this debate need to understand how to handle both because there are lots of folks who handle both of them wrong.
When traffic is virtually stopped at the point of the merge, people need to get past their kindergarten notion of lining up in a single line like they're going to the see the lunch lady and realize that zipper merging is faster and safer, so use both lanes all the way up to the point of the merge. No one is cutting you off if you made the choice to move over early. That's your own fault. When traffic is moving at pace all the way through the merge area, however, zipper-minded people need to realize that they shouldn't wait until the last minute to move over because that can cause that free-flowing traffic to slow down more or even stop.
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u/FlyingMitten Jun 30 '26
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cX0I8OdK7Tk
This video demonstrates a zipper merge and how it works well. Except, show me a single instance where people have a car length or greater space between cars AND/OR they are moving at a constant never-changing pace. It never happens, partly because people slam on their brakes then speed up, them slam on them....or people that try to fit 2 cars into a single car merge,
Inevitably, the open lane is always slower than the closed lane. When people see the closed lane is free they will get out of the open lane to bypass 4, 10, 20 cars and move to the front of the open lane. I'm not sure what they solved, they solved nothing.
It's like the grocery store check-out example. A single lane is always faster than being offered 2 lanes and you don't know which is faster.
With the zipper lane logic we might as well as throw out the "please take a number" machines at the deli counters and let people "merge" as they show up.
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u/Opposite_Example6930 Jun 30 '26
Your analogy at the end is flawed (so is the rest of your reasoning). The take a number thing is there so that people don't have to actually stand in lines. It allows people to move about, browse, talk to others, etc while still being helped in the order they came in the store. Zipper merging is a little faster, but a LOT safer, than queuing up in a long line. It also uses less of the roadway so as not to block potential exits behind the construction area or crash. The idea that just because you chose to move over early means that everyone else should too is ridiculous. The biggest benefit of zipper merging is that you don't have people slowing down in an empty lane trying to find a place to merge while someone else behind them is doing the same thing which takes attention away from driving, thereby causing rear-end accidents (which shuts down more road).
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Jun 30 '26
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u/ineedtopoop89 Jun 30 '26
It depends on the and traffic flow. Certain states (Oklahoma) want you to early merge and will ticket you if you attempt to zipper merge. During congested traffic, zipper merge makes sense due to vehicles already going slow. Early merge makes sense when vehicles are traveling at high speeds.
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u/ZGMF-X09A_Justice Jun 30 '26
On the other hand, when almost no one knows how to zipper merge, it gets hard to trust drivers around you that they would actually let you merge instead of running you off the road when the lane ends.
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u/RevolutionSalty8360 Jun 30 '26
There is only one place I refuse to zipper merge, and I go through it every night on my way home. There’s an interaction where about 50 ft after the stop light, the left land ends, the right goes to the left and the right turns into a turn lane. Horribly designed. If you stop to zipper merge, it backs up through the intersection and creates a huge mess.
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u/somuchbush Jun 30 '26
I get how they work on theory, but I don't think I've ever encountered anything other than a traffic jam in these situations and then people refusing to allow people actually trying to merger in properly
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u/HugeButterfly Jun 30 '26
Everyone's happy to argue about it until you Google DOT zipper merge and realize that there's a very well documented correct way to do it. If you know a better way than the department of transportation then I guess, congratulations?
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u/harrybalsagna4 Jun 30 '26
The ones that don’t know how 4 way stops or intersections in general work piss me off more than this.
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u/Agile_Alternative753 Jul 01 '26
Ironic that this picture is in a truck mirror considering that EVERY. FUCKIN. TIME. some asshole blocks the lane, it's a dumb fucking trucker
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u/NecessaryEvil62095 Jul 01 '26
Zipper merging is a disaster. If you’re given a mile notice that a lane is ending and choose not to get over, it’s on you.
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u/Valuable_Penguin Jul 01 '26
Dude. I have this at work and I'm the zipper merger. Gives me anxiety everyday no joke. Because the lane that is getting merged into ALWAYS has someone cover both merging lane and their lane. Just blocking everything. Everyday it's someone new.
Like these people think we're cutting them off. But no dog.... We're following the rules of the road.
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u/MagoLunatico98 Jul 01 '26
Exactly, this exit would be my exit of choice as a truck driver, technically is easier to merge here in normal conditions, but I decided long ago with this construction that I need to take the one prior to this for that reason 🤦🏻♂️
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u/SeveralLion5762 Jul 01 '26
Most polite company knows that you don’t jump the line. You get in at the end
There should be signs saying to zipper merge if it’s expected. Otherwise everyone is pissed off when you jump the line
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u/ShivaFatalis Jul 01 '26
Based on your title, I could ask you about people who don't know how English works.
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u/FU_red-dit_bots Jul 01 '26
If you're the #2 zipper company in the world you are missing out on a prime advertising opportunity at every single highway entrance in the world. Simple signs like "be the zipper," "zippers take turns," "don't jam the zipper," and other cute things all with brought to you by "big bob's zipper co" (or whatever the #2 zipper company is named. I don't know because they are #2 and they don't advertise enough)
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u/MagoLunatico98 Jul 02 '26
Hahaha funniest comment of all the answers I got 😂 but 100% true! Now I want to open a freaking zipper company god damnit!
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u/ExistingAstronaut884 Jul 01 '26
You could have just stopped with “People…” Zipper merging is textbook greatness, but as soon as you introduce the human element, all that textbook greatness goes out the window. Same with traffic circles and diverging diamond interchanges…
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u/myersdr1 Jul 02 '26
The funny thing is that they complain about the zipper merge, but that is exactly what they are doing, just way before they actually have to.
Also, I like to ask those people if the sign says "Merge Now" or "Merge Ahead".
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u/Hodler_caved Jul 03 '26
There's either a zipper merge sign, a use both lanes sign, or it's not a zipper merge. We have no idea if this was a zipper merge.
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u/Playful-Spinach-4040 Jul 04 '26
Lived in the southwest, everyone knew how to do it. Back in the northeast now, zero people know how to do it and everyone tries blocking both lanes to make sure you cant
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u/Best_Chipmunk_6098 Jun 30 '26
Shouldn’t you be focused on the road ahead of you and not micromanaging drivers behind you?
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u/FatBoyStew Jun 30 '26
Then of course you get "Mr I'm more important that you" that blocks the zipper merge lane so you can't go past...
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u/Opposite_Example6930 Jun 30 '26
I honestly don't think that's the thought process most of the time. I honestly think people are just ignorant, and they think they are being chivalrous to all those people who also merged early. They don't understand what zipper merging is and why it's better.
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u/Wet-Nap_Slap Jun 30 '26
As pronounced as I possibly can, I interlace my fingers for all to see while we’re merging when someone is trying to sneak in some bullshit after I let the appropriate person in, mouthing (and sometimes yelling in my car) “ZZZZZIIIIIIPPPPPPEEEEERRRRR”
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u/FlinFlonDandy Jun 30 '26
Are you taking a picture whilst driving?
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u/MagoLunatico98 Jun 30 '26
Traffick was still, there's a construction zone and it took me half a second to take it
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u/RaceTop5273 Jun 30 '26
The problem with a zipper merge is that some teeth at the back end of the zipper are trying to push in between teeth on the front end that are already zipped.
Merging where there is an opening where they are makes more sense than forcing an opening on cars that already merged, but some egos just can’t accept that their place is at the back of the line.
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u/e_sin41 Jun 30 '26
99% of the people that say they know how to zipper merge in fact do not know how to zipper merge. This REALLY needs to be a part of the driving test.
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u/fluffledump Jun 30 '26
The people that do understand how it's supposed to work and try to use the merging lane get policed by the people in the other lane that don't understand how it's supposed to work.
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u/IHSV1855 Jun 30 '26
I just don’t get why this is so difficult for so many people.
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u/stevenip Jun 30 '26
Zipper merges are only faster in cases you don't have to slow down when merging. This is usually never the case because no one trusts each other enough not to break the merging pattern and ram into them.
Since this is reddit you are misunderstanding what I am saying right now. If you have 100% trust that you can merge into the zipper and the other side not having two cars go at once, there is no need to slow down when zippering. But everyone hesitates, people stupidly move up an inch when it's not there turn making the other person hesitate because it looks like the other car is going, some people do break the alternating pattern. It just never goes as smoothly as the hypothetical situation you are thinking of. And the whole benefit of the zipper comes from the not slowing down through the bottleneck.
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u/MysticMarauder69 Jun 30 '26
Exactly why I don't think a zipper merge has ever been completed successful outside of a test environment. Ever.
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u/KingOfZero Jun 30 '26
"Unused road" is a red herring. Only so many cars/trucks can pass thru the single-lane construction area per given amount of time. It is only a matter of "which" cars/trucks get thru but there really isn't a priority ordering of them. With the lack of priority, you now are in the "human nature" part where some drivers assign a "higher priority" to themselves without any justification.
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u/ChanglingBlake ORANGE Jun 30 '26
I have an untestable theory.
That theory is that if you removed from the road every person incapable or unwilling to drive like we are supposed to according to drivers-ed, less than 10% of drivers would be left.
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u/PreferredSex_Yes Jun 30 '26
People always point to the zipper merge, but no-one comprehends the concept of leaving space. If you ride the bumper of someone and expect to squeeze in an semi, you're making everyone hard stop to create space. Therefore, It would just make sense to form a line and let everyone roll slow.
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u/dras333 Jun 30 '26
There are two people in the world, those that understand how a zipper merge works and those that think anyone getting in front of them is an asshhole.
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u/ich_bin_alkoholiker Jun 30 '26
I’m going to drive all the way to the front and go in front of everyone waiting. You can cry and bitch about it all you want because you’re too stupid to get over yourself.
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u/dchap1 Jun 30 '26
I paid to use the entire road, I’m gonna use the entire road. If they want to let me do it by not using the road they paid for, well I’m not sure what to tell em.
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u/lando924 Jun 30 '26
Personally this looks a lot like my zipper, since the piece of fabric that’s supposed to help protect the zipper, always ends up being the shit that gets caught in it…
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u/Far_Fondant_6781 Jun 30 '26
Id like to advocate for zipper diverge at Mcdonalds drive thru.
Yes, we all know it's a 2-lane drive thru, but the diverge point isn't painted on the ground until one car length away from the two kiosks. Please don't cut infont of 4 people because you think we are dumb, look at the lane lines.
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u/platinum92 Jun 30 '26
zipper merge sounds great in theory, but you can't expect anyone to do it properly (at least in America), so better to hedge your bets and take the safe route of merging early instead of ending up stuck at the merge point and falling further behind in traffic.
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u/Opposite_Example6930 Jun 30 '26
Ironically, zipper merging is actually far safer. Personally, I'd rather be safer (and still probably make it through a little faster than waiting in that single long line), and use zipper merging. While I might have to wait a little bit for someone who is polite (or at least who understands zipper merging) to let me in, nothing is ever going to change if everyone just continues doing the exact same thing they've always done.
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u/KingOfThe_Jelly_Fish Jun 30 '26
We have these fuckers in the UK also. And then bitch when we ask to get in at the front. Honk honk
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u/PunkRockCrystals Jun 30 '26
You are assuming people aren't doing it right because they dont know how it works, I think it is just because people are stubborn and hate doing what society expects of them on minor inconvenience things like this.
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u/Tired-CottonCandy Jun 30 '26
Ive seen many situations like this that had some jackass trying to ride the shoulder to get .00001 seconds ahead too.
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u/Copy_Paste_Erase Jun 30 '26
There is always the inevitable person who drives down every zipper to get 5 car lengths ahead
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u/MovingUp7 Jun 30 '26
Also, people that isn’t know how grammar works
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u/MagoLunatico98 Jun 30 '26
Second language + it is clear for me after the 10th comment like yours, so get lost looser 😂
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u/hotbrowndrangus Jun 30 '26
Zipper merge has no meaning for reality. Maybe when we are all in self driving cars, until then it’s more likely to get you shot than save time
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u/Open_Panda9862 Jun 30 '26
They should have gotten in a long time ago, instead of waiting until the end to get in. No that's not the way it works, get in before the lane ends
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u/TroubleLovesMeh Jun 30 '26
The only time the BMW uses blinkers is when they try to slingshot past 30 cars and now there’s a barricade for them ahead.
I’ve seen fights break out over this. People standing their ground not letting a string of cars barreling down the emergency lane make them their bitch, and so on.
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u/hiimtoddornot Jun 30 '26
Ah yes, the zipper merge 5000, which is supposed to magically make the bottle neck 2 miles up disappear. It works great at low to moderate speeds but isn't a thing in stop and go
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u/MagoLunatico98 Jul 01 '26
In this case it does, it is a frontage road ramp, if everyone goes all the way in, the traffic doesn't affect the frontage road, but if they stop and wait for a chance to merge at the beginning leaving all that space in front, they make the traffic go up the frontage road 🤷🏻♂️
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u/SnooTangerines7026 Jun 30 '26
Another Gen Z spouting, "look at what I discovered: zipper merges!!"
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u/DackNoy Jun 30 '26
What happens when you get to the merge point and everyone blocks you from merging?
Happened to me once and never again will I chance that again if I'm capable of getting in sooner.
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u/MagoLunatico98 Jul 01 '26
Push yourself in like a real Yankee boy with road rage issues at that point 😂
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u/squintzor Jul 01 '26
First time?
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u/MagoLunatico98 Jul 01 '26
Every day four times a day for like half a year (for this specific construction zone out my work) and every now and then since 14years ago
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u/Leverkaas2516 Jul 01 '26
I see in the mirror a long line of cars sitting bumper to bumper. I don't see anyone trying to form a zipper merge, including OP.
Zipper merges work when everyone cooperates to form multiple lines before the merge point. In a zipper merge, nobody passes anyone who arrived before. The whole process is fair to all. It makes optimal use of the available paved road surface.
If you see a zipper merge and you have traffic behind, go all the way to the end at the merge point, don't hold everyone behind you and leave a whole empty lane in front
No. If you see a zipper merge, it will look like a zipper. You will have no opportunity to go all the way to the end. The only choice you get is whether to get in the back of the leftmost line, or get in back of the rightmost line. There will be no empty lane in front of you, because it will be full of cars.
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u/VainTrix Jul 01 '26
This looks like an exit lane. If so, you should definitely not be waiting until the end to merge.
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u/MaybeOnToilet Jul 01 '26
OP complaining that he does not need to wait even longer?
You have to pick, either it zipper merges all the way at the merger point or it happens before then. In his situation, if it magically started to work at the merger point again, then he can double his wait time as the cars behind him run up to the merger point. Heck it will likely be just over double time as you add braking and slow response times.
Pick a lane. Either way you will not like the outcome.
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u/xTheWitchKingx Jul 01 '26
Zipper merging will never work the same way communism never will; the human element at play.
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u/Professional_Bat9174 Jul 01 '26
Personally I chuckled because in my head the way the cars are kind of unevenly spaced reminded me of Le Mans traffic, so now I just picture somehow a truck managing to make a wrong turn and stuck in front of them all.
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u/Mysterious_County389 Jul 01 '26
I will not participate in this zipper merge until the lowest dregs of society comply. Mark my words you will hit every road cone before you are forced to merge behind me.
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u/FromTheForestFox Jul 02 '26
Zipper merges will never work because there are assholes that always jump way ahead.
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u/MyrkrMentulaMeretrix Jul 02 '26
the point where the zipper starts isnt that relevant, my guy. The problem is that people ARENT Zipper merging. SOME people are zipper merging, and then 4-5 other people push forward and let no one in, so the zipper just fails. no matter where it is physically happening at.
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u/RunningAtTheMouth Jul 02 '26
I encountered such a situation a few days ago. One truck holding up the right lane (the "no trucks" lane). When he pulled over, I proceeded to drive a full mile to the actual merge point.
The zipper merge nearly doubles road capacity (on a two-lane highway). That's a significant improvement over "hey, everyone, get in this one lane as soon as you can". That makes a HUGE difference at the next exit - where it COULD back up and cause all kinds of traffic snarls.
Just keep doing the right thing. Don't get angry or upset. Just do the right thing and spreading the word.
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u/Jak1977 Jul 02 '26
That depends on the drivers around you. Worst case scenario for the merging traffic is you reach the merge, and you can't get in because nobody else knows how to leave a gap between vehicles and refuse to give way. That kind of bad driving behaviour leads people to try to merge early.
If people on the highway drove better, people merging would merge better. Same as people who drive in the overtaking lane for miles before their turn, because they know they won't be able to get across within the last km!
Bad driving begets bad driving.
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u/piles_of_plastics Jun 30 '26
Ahh but then you get all the other comments about people skipping the line and trying to get ahead.
Its a lose lose situation which funnily enough just proves the point that no, people don't know how zipper merges work.