Merging Lanes

The conundrum: a lane of traffic is coming to an end. You can

A. Move over to the continuing lane immediately, or

B. Continue driving down the ending lane to the point where the two lanes merge.

What should you do?

Here in San Antonio, the majority of drivers seem to believe you should choose A and move over to the continuing lane immediately. From the way they treat people who choose B (butting bumper to bumper to avoid said merging and shooting dirty looks at people who try to merge), they believe you are the scum of the earth if you choose B.

The problem is, there is always a good reason for having that extra lane that ends. It’s there to help with the overflow of traffic from another on-ramp. If people choose A and move over immediately, this will usually congest the on-ramp and back up traffic.

Once that happens, people will have no choice but to drive up the empty merging lane, because they have no where else to go. This makes all the people who have chosen A very angry, because they feel as though these other cars are cutting in line and are the scum of the earth.

To avoid this dilemma, PLEASE ALWAYS CHOOSE B.

If people would just fill up the two lanes on a first come, first served basis, they would help with the overflow of traffic and fewer people would be angry about other cars cutting in front of them.

Just to warn you, people who choose A will be downright mean to you for choosing B, but if more and more people choose B, maybe others will see the light. As they’re giving you ugly looks or pretending like they just don’t see you, take the higher moral ground and be courteous. Eventually, a smart and reasonable person who chose A will let you in.

A merging lane is a legal lane. You will not be breaking any law in choosing B. In fact, you will be helping the flow of traffic. If everyone followed your lead and filled the two lanes simultaneously, the world would be a better place.

Here is another article that presents findings supporting my position.

Let me just add that I’m not condoning the behavior of the assholes that will go around everyone faster than the speed of light and even use the shoulder to cut in as far in front of everyone as they can. In fact, if everyone practices this late merging, assholes like that would be less likely to cut.

And yet, I still let those kind of people in just in case their house really is on fire or their wife is having a baby.