Tips for merging

There is no silver bullet in resolving issues like this. People will be people and some have attitudes and personalities that if you challenge would end up poorly for one or both or more than the two.

Trying to fit into the flow is the correct thing to do. Being prepared to stop if needed should also be in your mind. There are people who don't care who will screw with you by filling it, speeding up, swinging out from the ramp behind you, etc. You have to be ready for them at all times.

Being prepared to stop is paramount or use the shoulder. To be honest I've never had a problem where I needed to slam on the brakes or use the shoulder. There are still many people who will help you out by letting you in.

creeper wrote:
And that would be the exact reason I have a dash cam, for those who are going to force their way around the interstate or think it's others jobs to get out of their way.

Careful with that - it works both ways. A friend of mine is a local attorney that works with a trucking union. Despite that fact that people think they are enforcing "the law" by not letting others in, if the camera shows you could clearly see the merging vehicle's intention and made no attempt to avoid a collision, or worse made sure you closed any gap they had, it would work against you in court.

EDIT: And to the OP....all this conversation really isn't off topic. You can see the cross-section of people, attitudes and vehicles you will encounter while merging. By reading the posts you can pretty much tell how each would behave at a merge. Like I said in my first post - it's a blood sport.

Vulcan Rider wrote:
If you force your way into a hole that isn't there and cause an "accident", you might spend the night in jail.

And that would be the exact reason I have a dash cam, for those who are going to force their way around the interstate or think it's others jobs to get out of their way.

Vulcan Rider wrote:
When I was in Oregon a few years back, driving felt kind of weird because other drivers were so laid back and courteous.

People who live in big cities "out east" just don't understand that.

Can't argue with that. :)

Pogoil wrote:
Had to adjust speed a couple times but that was no problem.

When I was in Oregon a few years back, driving felt kind of weird because other drivers were so laid back and courteous.

People who live in big cities "out east" just don't understand that.

Never seem to have a problem. 30,000 miles on MH. in past 5 years.

Had to adjust speed a couple times but that was no problem.

Pogoil.

holstein13 wrote:

For those of you who think traffic must let you in, please consider that sometimes they simply can not do it.

That is only totally true when all lanes are packed full and at a dead standstill. You can ALWAYS slow down to make a hole if you choose to do so.

turbojimmy wrote:

Vulcan Rider wrote:
Tip #3: Do not try to make a hole where there isn't one.

The problem with this logic is that it assumes that a) holes exist and b) any holes that might exist aren't immediately closed by drivers that don't want to be behind your massive RV. In many situations, if I waited for holes I'd have to pull over to the shoulder and wait until the middle of the night until there's no traffic.

Signal your intention and make a move to your intended lane. The seas will part. Otherwise you'll find yourself in a worse position being stopped in an acceleration lane with cars behind you going around you thus doubling the danger.

I actually kind of DO agree with that....except in a major city when the traffic is REAL heavy and moving relatively fast. If you force your way into a hole that isn't there and cause an "accident", you might spend the night in jail.

It all depends on the circumstances. One size does NOT fit all.

We don't do interstates or big cities so never have a merging problem!! :)

I've also been in the right lane while others are trying to merge in from the on-ramp. I usually move over, but sometimes I can't move over. I'm 65 feet long. If there is a tractor trailer next to me on the left or heavy traffic, I can not move over to let you in.

For those of you who think traffic must let you in, please consider that sometimes they simply can not do it. They can't move over, period. You'll have to be prepared to ride in the emergency lane or stop on the ramp.