Etiquette or law: Merging into traffic

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) — As the Labor Day weekend approaches, thousands of drivers will hit the highways for that last summer trip.

If you plan to hit the road on Thursday or Friday, you will be competing with commuters. Transportation data provider INRIX says the worst time to travel by car on Thursday will be between 1 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and on Friday between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. That flips on Saturday, when you’ll want to avoid driving between 8 a.m. and 11 a.m., according to the Associated Press.

With all those vehicles jockeying for space, the rules of the road come into play, and there are some common trends that drivers discuss and vent about when highways are packed. One of those is merging into traffic.

In Ohio, there is the law and then there is etiquette. And as we all know, etiquette can’t be legislated, so it is up to the merging driver to do it safely and not cut off someone else as you merge.

Ohio revised code: A) The operator of a vehicle, streetcar, or trackless trolley about to enter or cross a highway from any place other than another roadway shall yield the right of way to all traffic approaching on the roadway to be entered or crossed.

If you are merging onto a highway, the flow of traffic on the highway has the right of way. You must yield to that traffic. According to AAA, freeway driving demands special skills. When entering a freeway from an on-ramp, try to increase your speed to match that of the freeway traffic. Drivers should constantly be looking in their mirror to find an appropriate spot in traffic to merge, and don’t merge until the solid white line has ended. Do not stop in the acceleration lane unless absolutely necessary. Remember, you must yield the right of way to the traffic already on the freeway.

AAA recommends these tips for drivers:

• As you approach the entrance ramp, check freeway traffic conditions
• Always enter the freeway at or near the speed of traffic
• Do not stop unless it is absolutely necessary. Stopping on the on-ramp is dangerous; vehicles behind you are not expecting you to stop
• To merge safely, allow a three- to four-second gap in traffic: two seconds from the car in front of you and two seconds from the car behind you
• Turn on your turn signal and adjust your speed to put you in the middle of the gap
• As you merge, use your mirrors and look over your shoulder to make sure no traffic is in your blind spot, or moving into the right lane from the left
• Change lanes when you are sure it is safe
• Turn your signal off after completing the lane change.

Etiquette would dictate that if you can safely allow a vehicle to merge into your lane, you should make an effort to do so, but through traffic is not obligated to accommodate a merging vehicle, but courteous merging helps the flow of traffic.

And don’t forget about the zipper merge. The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) says this method of merging works, but many drivers don’t do it correctly.

When drivers are approaching a lane merge, vehicles should travel in both lanes provided until the lane ends and then merge into the open lane by taking turns and zippering into traffic.

ODOT said that drivers attempt to merge into the appropriate lane as soon as possible, sometimes miles before the merge, which can lead to unsafe driving behavior and traffic backups.

Zipper merges can ease congestion and shorten backups by 40%, delaying congestion by 14 minutes and cutting the line of cars by over 1/3 of a mile, according to ODOT.

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