The below statement prompted this public-service announcement.:smile:
STEP 1: Make sure you know where your accelerator pedal is. Do you know where your accelerator pedal is?
(NOTE: If driving a slow-accelerating vehicle, such as an electric or hybrid car, a diesel King Cab with dually tires towing a camping trailer, a 1980s Honda, or any Volvo except the T5 hairy-chested wagons, find your accelerator pedal AND EXPLORE ITS MAXIMUM TRAVEL before attempting to enter the freeway.)
STEP 2: Press down on the accelerator pedal while glancing left several times in succession to gauge where your vehicle can safely enter the flow of traffic.
(NOTE: It's typically better to have more speed/momentum built up when merging than less, because on major US interstates outside cities, there's enough room to brake, but not enough to stop, pray to the gods of acceleration to help you, and get back in your vehicle to continue to enter the freeway.)
STEP 3: Turn on your left-turn signal to indicate that you know what you're doing and you're prepared to move into the slowest lane.
(NOTE: If an asshole speeds up to keep you from merging, just slow down a little and move in right behind him/her. No need for the interesting hand gestures. You'll see him/her down the road parked just ahead of a nice police officer, anyway. Just wait--karma does happen.)
STEP 4: Push down on the accelerator pedal a little more, or brake a tad, to finesse your way into the slowest lane of traffic.
Bingo! You're done. And now you're moving at least the speed of the slowest lane of traffic.
NCbear (who lives in a town whose business interstate has on- and off-ramps designed in the 1940s that have between two and five car lengths to enter onto or exit from a 45 mph highway with narrow shoulders where most people drive 65 mph plus, leading to lots of terrified people screeching to a full stop on the entry ramps )
. . . [Not knowing how to merge into traffic when entering a freeway] is what has caused NUMEROUS accidents on I-75 up here. Bubble fucks think they stop at the end of a ramp, put their blinker on and then merge right in front of an oncoming vehicle . . . .
STEP 1: Make sure you know where your accelerator pedal is. Do you know where your accelerator pedal is?
(NOTE: If driving a slow-accelerating vehicle, such as an electric or hybrid car, a diesel King Cab with dually tires towing a camping trailer, a 1980s Honda, or any Volvo except the T5 hairy-chested wagons, find your accelerator pedal AND EXPLORE ITS MAXIMUM TRAVEL before attempting to enter the freeway.)
STEP 2: Press down on the accelerator pedal while glancing left several times in succession to gauge where your vehicle can safely enter the flow of traffic.
(NOTE: It's typically better to have more speed/momentum built up when merging than less, because on major US interstates outside cities, there's enough room to brake, but not enough to stop, pray to the gods of acceleration to help you, and get back in your vehicle to continue to enter the freeway.)
STEP 3: Turn on your left-turn signal to indicate that you know what you're doing and you're prepared to move into the slowest lane.
(NOTE: If an asshole speeds up to keep you from merging, just slow down a little and move in right behind him/her. No need for the interesting hand gestures. You'll see him/her down the road parked just ahead of a nice police officer, anyway. Just wait--karma does happen.)
STEP 4: Push down on the accelerator pedal a little more, or brake a tad, to finesse your way into the slowest lane of traffic.
Bingo! You're done. And now you're moving at least the speed of the slowest lane of traffic.
NCbear (who lives in a town whose business interstate has on- and off-ramps designed in the 1940s that have between two and five car lengths to enter onto or exit from a 45 mph highway with narrow shoulders where most people drive 65 mph plus, leading to lots of terrified people screeching to a full stop on the entry ramps )