Accelerate To Merge
Alright, people! Here is one of my biggest pet-peeves. As shown in the current NCDMV driving manual , the correct way to enter an interstate highway is to “Adjust to freeway speed in the acceleration lane”.
This means that the proper, safe way to enter the flowing traffic , is to use your accelerator and blend. Don’t go 20 mph less than the traffic, and don’t expect people in the right-hand lane to perform a dangerous lane change just because you didn’t bother to find a hole in your approach!!!
Yes, one should drive defensively and always try to avoid an accident. However those who sloppily enter highways are creating high-speed accident situations with their timidity.
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June 26th, 2009 at 2:00 am
I agree… I was behind one of these individuals merging on to 40, except she decided to not even go 20 under the speed limit, but decided the best speed to mix into 70 mph traffic was at 20. Some people really shouldn’t be allowed on the roadways.
June 26th, 2009 at 8:26 am
YES!!! THANK YOU!!!!!
I hate brake lights on the ‘on-ramp.’
June 26th, 2009 at 11:52 am
What’s equally awful in my opinion is when people already in the right-hand lane think they are being nice by slamming on the breaks so someone can merge from an on-ramp. !? That’s smart. “I’m in a line of cars doing 70 mph so I think I will hit the breaks.”
June 26th, 2009 at 11:53 am
That would be “brakes” not “breaks.” I promise I passed English.
June 26th, 2009 at 12:37 pm
AMEN!
The worst is merging in a cloverleaf. You are trying to enter the freeway by accelerating and find that someone is racing to get in front of you just so they can exit. Or the other way around, you’re exiting and trying to give the entering vehicle the room to merge but they won’t speed up! If it is too complicated, take the bus!
June 26th, 2009 at 4:37 pm
THANK YOU!!!! One of my biggest pet peeves is people STOPPING on the on-ramp in front of me.
June 26th, 2009 at 5:21 pm
like a zipper, people, like a zipper!
June 26th, 2009 at 8:10 pm
In full agreement. Unfortunately, my experience has been that the people that need this information are not reading gogoraleigh.com. Or perhaps at all.
June 27th, 2009 at 12:09 am
It wouldn’t be so bad if people in the right lane, when possible, got over for you (As I was taught to do). No one gets over anymore, they are too busy talking on the phone or whatever, so you often get to the end of the acceleration lane and have no where to go. That is why I have found myself slowing down in acceleration lanes, cause I am scared I will by flying past the end of the acceleration lane. If people regularly got over, (again…if possible) like they use to, then I wouldn’t have gotten into this mode where I worry about that. But it has happened to me so many times!
June 27th, 2009 at 7:28 am
If people in Raleigh began to drive correctly, the damage would be irrevocable. I suppose you people wants our fair citizens to start using blinkers?? Not plow through red lights?? Not drive 20 MPH slower in the fast lane than the folks in the slow lane??
I hold more faith in Bin Ladens capture than I do in decent Raleigh drivers.
June 28th, 2009 at 1:15 am
unfortunately, i have a vehicle that doesn’t work very well trying to merge into 70 mph traffic from a 25 to 35 mph ramp (4 cylinder jeep wrangler)…acceleration (sp?) is a big factor here…although i do my best to speed up, it is often pretty scary…many times i have to max out the on-ramp (esp. short ones like 440 outer to wade ave.) but i try to avoid braking at all costs…traffic here is still 1000x better than the baltimore or dc metro areas; it’s just insane up there…
June 28th, 2009 at 11:16 am
I drive a really big SUV so when I accelerate off the ramp and begin to merge people just get out of my way. It’s great and worth every extra dollar of gas! Can’t do that in a Smart car!
June 29th, 2009 at 1:35 pm
I agree 100%! Equally irritating though is a vehicle on an Interstate driving side by side with someone in the slow lane thus not allowing cars to pass in the PASSING lane.
June 29th, 2009 at 7:02 pm
Completely agree! However, it should also be mentioned that a number of acceleration lanes around here (1) aren’t that long and (2) may also be an exit lane, which may also be factors for more folks driving like crazy people. I also get extremely irritated with the many people in the “acceleration” lanes who drive slowly and don’t even bother to put their blinker on or pay attention, and just expect the other people will let them in when the lane ends. Geez, they could at least make an effort! People really are unbelievable!
June 30th, 2009 at 8:31 am
Alright, y’all, I have a Prius and have never had any problem getting to cruising speed on an acceleration ramp!
I use Raleigh’s worst ramp daily, too (Jones Franklin onto Eastbound 440 - it’s short and uphill).
For most people this is a case of mind over matter. Some of the biggest problems occur as Westbound Western Blvd traffic tries to get onto Eastbound 440. Constantly people are going 35-40 when they should have found their hole before the curve, and hit cruising speed as the accelerate through the curve.
June 30th, 2009 at 10:35 pm
Amen. I’ve lived a few places and Raleigh, hands down, has the absolute worst drivers. It’s a shame.
July 1st, 2009 at 3:36 am
It’s actually been a long time since someone came to a full stop on an onramp in front of me, but I remember when that was a semi-regular occurrence back in my hometown of Greenville, SC, in the 1970s after the I-385 spur going into town was built…
Ah, good times!
FYI, for anyone who doesn’t know, the official NC traffic code says that it’s the responsibility of merging traffic to adjust, and that through traffic is supposed to “maintain speed.” The exception is when there are no gaps in the merge lane, in which case it’s recommended that through traffic try to either move over a lane or slow enough to create a gap. Of course, I’ve moved over before only to watch the joker behind me accelerate to close the gap I’ve just created…
And then there are the fun folks who tailgate you like they need to get to a hospital, finally zoom around you when the next lane opens up (usually 10-15 mph above the speed limit), then immediately (and I *do* mean immediately) get off at the next offramp. Yee-ha!
July 5th, 2009 at 3:04 pm
Amen Dana!