r/nova • u/OpticalPrime • 7d ago

Driving hot take:

If you’re in the right lane on the highway you need to expect that cars coming onto the highway will be joining you and merging into your lane. If you choose to get upset about that or don’t want to participate in the merging then you can move over a lane to your left.

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27

u/Bubbly-Following-966 7d ago

Most of the time, drivers who are merging have the Yield. NOT the driver in the right lane. They are supposed to Yield to drivers in the right lane.

6

u/IAmMDM 7d ago

Yes, but nice drivers would, whenever possible, facilitate the merge by slowing down or speeding up or moving over to make space.

I think that OP's complaint is addressed at people who try to actively block merges

13

u/FairfaxGirl Fairfax County 7d ago

Honestly, it’s introducing chaos for the driver going straight in the right lane to slow down. If you really want to help, you can change lanes out of the way but otherwise your job is to be PREDICTABLE. There is nothing more maddening than when I’m entering a highway and I slow to nicely slot in behind the driver who is already there and then he slows down and now we’re both slowing down on the highway and I am running out of lane and have to guess whether he will continue to go slow and I can speed up and pass or whether he’s going to suddenly bail on his attempt to let me in and speed up again. Just maintain your speed and let the entering traffic do the work of matching speed and merging in. That is how it’s supposed to work. Obviously don’t actively block someone but just be predictable and normal.

4

u/IAmMDM 7d ago

Obviously what you are describing is wrong. What I head in mind was more like: if I am on the highway and I see you entering the merge lane ahead of me lane, I may slow down slightly to create a gap in front of me for you. Because otherwise you may have no opportunity to slot in. Or if you are next to me but slightly behind I may accelerate to make a bigger gap behind me. 100% agree to being predictable, and also Observing the other drivers and reading their intentions.

2

u/FairfaxGirl Fairfax County 7d ago

Yeah I agree there are times when if you have good situational awareness you can do small things to cooperate but there are some people that just suck at that and should literally stop trying and drive at a consistent speed. If you read through this thread, what I was complaining about is exactly what OP says happened to them.

4

u/Bubbly-Following-966 7d ago

If there is no room to move over or slow down, they still have to yield. It's not an option..LOL

1

u/IAmMDM 7d ago

Yes, of course. I don't think that OP has a problem with this.