TimFountain

I disagree, it's up to the merging driver to adjust their speed to merge with the prevailing through traffic, not for the through traffic to brake to let you in, disturbing the flow of the through traffic. Also why would you alter your speed for someone merging behind you, as you indicated above? That would cause 9/10 drivers to believe you are trying to close any potential merging gap, leading to ever more potential animosity.

GeoffM

Makes sense but I mean in general there are ways to appear irate without necessarily realizing that it's road rage.

Not sure about the merging behind thing but I do agree with making room for merging traffic, whether by changing lanes or by slowing and creating a gap. In heavy traffic how else is somebody supposed to get in? Wedge their way in and halve the gap between two vehicles or stop and wait on the slip lane until rush hour is over?

Just remembered an incident that happened twice in the same parking area - admittedly it was Walmart. I'm on the right waiting for a car to back out of a space. Said car ends up on his left, facing me, nose-to-nose. Looks at me as if to say "What are you doing there?". Several seconds pass. Eventually I go around him on the left as there's plenty of room to do so. And then the same thing happened a few weeks later.

yellowroom

When you have merging lanes like we have here, you don't have time to judge the speed of the prevailing traffic properly, nor adjust your speed perfectly while spotting the gap in the traffic and avoiding cars coming in in front of you slowing down. The slip roads are dual purpose, too short and sometimes they bend so that the first time you see the existing traffic is the moment you can join the road - no time to assess the current conditions.

You rely on a collaborative approach where the people already on the road anticipate that a junction is coming up, there may be joining traffic which will rely on the existing drivers taking action to allow others to join. It's what I was taught to do when I learnt to drive anyway - junctions are hazards and you need to pay attention even when you are not leaving or joining. And that was on UK roads with luxurious single purpose slip roads of a sensible length...

As for drivers merging behind - it's rare I'll grant you, but I was thinking of those situations where you and the car in the slip road are side by side, or you are going a lot faster than the car in the slip road. You'd have to brake pretty sharpish to create a gap, which would be dangerous, so easier to speed up and increase the gap behind you. You do need to pay attention to what the joining driver is doing though.

Antici----pation. A concept entirely novel to the drivers round here.

CAdreaming

Going for a driving lesson in ten mins so il let you know!!!! :

Bob

Indeed.....but if there is space to move over lane to let someone in, people should and quite often around here they don't.

MtbbikeVanlife

I agree - some of the merge lanes in Richmond are the shortest I've experienced..... N Belvidere St onto the I64/95 being the extreme one I tackle frequently, the slip road is a tight loop that has to be taken slowly and then you've got 2-3 car lengths to merge onto a busy freeway.

Probably explains why all the 18 wheelers only use the middle and outer lanes as they travel through.

Carl.

yellowroom

Oh hello neighbour!

I only drive on that bit of the road if I'm on the way to the airport, and to be honest these days I tend to use I-295 instead out of respect to my car suspension and for the sake of my fillings....

Pit Bull.

Well I have driven in a few countries, USA, Australia, Spain, Portugal, Greece and live in the UK and I found the worst place by far to drive was Spain, they seem to go hell for leather as soon as the lights change, I experienced very little road rage in the USA and Australia, but I have experienced it a lot here in the UK, but having said that I have driven here mostly since passing my test 30 years ago. It's likely it's just as bad anywhere especially in busy traffic areas.

TimFountain

You should see the ones on the I35 lower deck in Austin, TX, AKA Suicide Alley
http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/...eck_in_austin/

Nigs

Plano south bound Dallas North Tollway..................Eating a bowl of cereal, one hand on spoon, one hand on bowl, I assume the knee was steering.........
I looked twice and floored it to get out of the way before they wrecked out.
AND they had a huge SUV, 3000lbs of truck..........Scared the crap out of me. Why do these idiots do this?

cluedweasel

I had a friend who was rear-ended on one of the freeways in southern California. The person who hit him was eating their dinner off a plate using a knife and fork. I don't know what surprised him more. Having his car hit hard or finding an American using a knife and fork.........

Nigs

HAHHAHAH, Freaking love that !!!

GeoffM

I would like to add Chicago drivers to the list. Most definitely a case of "get the **** out the way if you're a pedestrian and a car is coming, cos they ain't gonna stop". Several times.

Scouse Express

These Morons were taking up 50ft long Coach Parking Spaces, at Plymouth Plantation, in Plymouth, Mass last week. There were plenty of spaces in the Car Park, but, nothing left for Coaches.


Jim.

Bob

Double park them in, it's the Mass way anyway, plus apart from the Toyota, they're all off roaders and could have taken that median