Originally from NY state, I’ve become extremely distressed at the amount of congestion caused here in NC due to lack of knowledge on how to properly merge so as not to impede the flow of traffic. May I suggest the following rules:

When approaching a merge lane that is about to end, Move into the permanent lane ASAP *once you have achieved an acceptable rate of speed*

Allow others to merge in front of you – all too often folks here become indignant and don’t want to allow anyone to merge. It pretty much goes hand in hand with the “merge asap” concept – if you wait until the very last second to leave the ending lane so as to pass those waiting patiently in the permanent lane, then naturally those waiting will not want to let you in front of them. Leave plenty of room between you and the car in front of you to allow others to enter, otherwise you will force them to obnoxiously wedge themselves all the way to the last possible moment

Never, I repeat NEVER leave a lane that is permanent to use a merging or ending lane to pass and then attempt to get back in the permanent line.

The amount of bottle-necking that occurs here in the Triangle NC area due to this simple concept of allowing on person in front of you in a merge situation to keep traffic moving is astounding. Do need to teach kids the unspoken rules of the road bc many parents obviously don’t follow them.

Ryan: i second that practice – it’s almost exactly how i do it.

Alex: interesting. i’ve never actually seen that happen, but i’ll keep it in mind.

Mike: amen. as i tell people in Denver, NYC’s interesting because of how it handles jaywalkers. in Denver, for example, you can jaywalk and drivers will slow and accomodate you. in Boston, you’ll get an irritated honk, but that’s about it. in NYC, drivers will actually speed up to try and hit you

P.S. I can’t stand driving in CT. Utah and Nebraska are hands down the best state to speed through with Utah having some scenery and Nebraska being the absolute most boring drive in the world.

The lowest risk role, in terms of the likelihood of earning a ticket, is the middle slot, followed by rear, and finally point.

A patrolman friend of mine in CA actually told me that the tail/rear position is the most vulnerable in many cases. If only one ticket is going to be issued, the last person in the convoy is the easiest to pull over.

Highways are not Indy tracks, and quick cuts in and out of lanes are not going to win you any points.

This drives me crazy. I get the impression that some people believe they have to move from one lane to the next as quickly as possible. Here’s how it should work: turn on your blinker. Let it flash a time or two while simultaneously checking your mirrors and shoulder. (Don’t be an idiot when checking your mirrors. If some part of your body that is not your eyes is moving then you’ve got a configuration problem.) Next, start guiding your vehicle into the next lane at a steady pace. You want to be sliding into the next lane at a rate that makes your intent obvious to other drivers but no faster. When you’ve fully arrived in the destination lane, turn off your blinker.

There’s many advantages to this style of lane change. First, people will be less likely to report you as intoxicated. Second, if you missed something in your mirrors, other drivers have plenty of time to alert you audibly – think of the other drivers’s horns as a special mirror without a blind spot. Third, drivers in the destination lane will often open up a spot for you instead of trying to screw you by tightening up – you’re respecting their space and safety and most people will reciprocate.