Driving question ( freeway merging)

[fightgood]

Hey guys, wanted an opinion. Today I was using a shortened on ramp to a two lane 65 mph hwy/frwy. The on ramp was normally about 100 yds long but had orange barrels gradually forcing you over in half that distance.

There was a woman behind me right on my bumper who was obviously in a hurry. I used up all the ramp I had in front of me cause there were three back to back vehicles on the left who didnt slide over or leave me any gap to merge onto their lane.

I had to come to a complete stop for them to go by. The woman behind me kept making waving hand gestures like "go, go what are you stopping for" ? Maybe she didnt see that the on ramp in front of me ended.

When I am driving on that same hwy. going past that on ramp the cars come out onto the hwy. pretty fast expecting me to slide over or give them a gap on a moments notice.

What do you guys do and who has the right of way in this situation?

 

[texansfan]

The vehicles on the freeway have the right of way. I guess each state could have it's own traffic laws however. Also, vehicles exiting the freeway have right of way to vehicles on the service road.

This is Texas law.

 

[michael777]

here in Michigan: [FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Michigan law[FONT=&quot] leaves little room for debate: Merging motorists "shall" yield the right-of-way to existing traffic and adjust their speed accordingly. Failure to do so can constitute a civil infraction.[/FONT]

 

[texansfan]

here in Michigan: Michigan law leaves little room for debate: Merging motorists "shall" yield the right-of-way to existing traffic and adjust their speed accordingly. Failure to do so can constitute a civil infraction.

Yep, if you enter a freeway and end up in a wreck it's your fault here.

 

[TheFalls]

people suck so bad at entering freeways. going to slow.

And they expect you...if in the right lane of the freeway...to actually yield to them. very many sorely confused motorists.

But ending up in a complete stop on an on ramp...is super terrible driving. You clearly weren't situationally aware.

 

[fightgood]

people suck so bad at entering freeways. going to slow.

And they expect you...if in the right lane of the freeway...to actually yield to them. very many sorely confused motorists.

But ending up in a complete stop on an on ramp...is super terrible driving. You clearly weren't situationally aware.

I had two choices...come to a complete stop or run into 3 approaching cars at 65 mph. The on ramp was short cause of construction. Had no choice.

 

[john towers]

Never, stop. Yield doesn't mean stop.

 

[texansfan]

Yeah, sometimes when there's construction and they've shortened the on ramp considerably, you have no choice but to stop.

 

[DesertDevil]

Never, stop. .

That's just dumb advice.

 

[texansfan]

Never, stop. Yield doesn't mean stop.

Well, failure to yield resulting in an accident will be 100% your fault.

 

[JoeShmoe]

Never, stop. Yield doesn't mean stop.

Whoa, are you really driving on the highways with us!?!?

 

[niltes]

yield, but never surrender.

 

[TheFalls]

I mean...did you not see the orange barrels? I was mis-interpreting this as the people behind you passed you because you were going too slow.

Sorry...I rarely if ever see a ramp design where a complete stop is necessary. There's typically a merge lane after the ramp...so assuming that didn't exist...which it probably did...you weren't aware to slow down for the right hand lane expressway vehicles to pass and then speed up significantly as you were entering.

I have little sympathy for bad driving because I see it so frequently.

And it's typically associated with demographics. The more foreign people you get going on a road, the more problems. I've seen this evolve over the past 15 years in DFW.

 

[HarryCaray]

you weren't aware to slow down for the right hand lane expressway vehicles to pass and then speed up significantly as you were entering.

That was my take as well. As soon as you saw that the ramp was shortened you should have been gauging when you would have an opening to gun it and get in, and gone slowly until that opening. I mean there were only 3 cars, seems like you could have timed it right.

Sounds like you rushed up to the end of the ramp, THEN checked if there was an opening, and there wasn't, so you had to come to a complete stop, which is horribly dangerous.

 

[HarryCaray]

If there were > 3 cars in the right lane...let's say there was just a line of bumper to bumper traffic in the right lane as far back as the eye could see. And there was no merge lane. That is the only situation in which you might have to come to a stop.

But if that was truly the situation, the cars in the right lane should be letting the traffic from your shortened onramp intermittently merge in, or THEY are assholes.

And even in this situation, if you pick up some speed on the onramp and make it clear you're coming, traffic in the right lane should be able to let you in without even really breaking stride.

 

[tatehill2000]

Lolol. ^^^^^^^^^^

 

[fightgood]

Sorry...I rarely if ever see a ramp design where a complete stop is necessary. There's typically a merge lane after the ramp...so assuming that didn't exist...which it probably did...you weren't aware to slow down for the right hand lane expressway vehicles to pass and then speed up significantly as you were entering.

I have little sympathy for bad driving because I see it so frequently.


No paralell merge lane after the ramp. It was just a shortened merge lane right on to the 2 lane expressway. I will add that the hwy traffic flow is obstructed until you get onto that on- ramp..you cant gauge oncoming car speeds until you are almost up to point of entry.

And I agree with you bad driving irritates me too.

 

[fightgood]

That was my take as well. As soon as you saw that the ramp was shortened you should have been gauging when you would have an opening to gun it and get in, and gone slowly until that opening. I mean there were only 3 cars, seems like you could have timed it right.

Sounds like you rushed up to the end of the ramp, THEN checked if there was an opening, and there wasn't, so you had to come to a complete stop, which is horribly dangerous.

I think you are assuming this was an interstate type of hwy. on ramp where you have a nice side by side view of the hwy and traffic flow. This was a semi-circular almost hair pin turn ramp prior to the hwy entrance. Each hwy is different and its hard to describe other than to say there was an obstructed view of the traffic flow till the last few seconds.

There was no time to pace my entry which is why I asked this question..I know I did the right thing by stopping.

 

[fightgood]

Yeah, sometimes when there's construction and they've shortened the on ramp considerably, you have no choice but to stop.

Yea, not that you want to stop but if the drivers arent moving over or giving you a gap...you have to yield. But then you have to also accelerate quickly to get back up to speed again. But you are correct that they have right of way .

 

[HarryCaray]

I think you are assuming this was an interstate type of hwy. on ramp where you have a nice side by side view of the hwy and traffic flow. This was a semi-circular almost hair pin turn ramp prior to the hwy entrance. Each hwy is different and its hard to describe other than to say there was an obstructed view of the traffic flow till the last few seconds.

There was no time to pace my entry which is why I asked this question..I know I did the right thing by stopping.

Understood. Yeah. You did.