Maybe it is time to stop changing to the left lane for cars entering the interstate

Thanks OP, I've learned something today. I have always believed that merging traffic must yield to right of way traffic, it appears in Michigan that highway traffic may not have right of way. Did not look up other states.

This appears backed up by code, and in the event of an accident, the camera could help the mergers case.
"Importantly, a driver who is speeding (i.e., “traveling at an unlawful speed”) “forfeits” his or her right of way. (MCL 257.649(7))"

 

Don’t even get me started on this subject. If I had a dollar for every time a driver comes down the on ramp a good 1/8th to 1/4 mile IN FRONT OF ME, already going faster than me and then for some strange reason they decide to slow down. But that’s not the end of it. When they decide to slow down, they usually decide to speed back up and try to get over about the time you catch up to them and now you’re side-by-side with them. And then they get mad. And yes, I run into these drivers all the time that think it’s their right to control the lane coming in off the on ramp. Not very many people merged properly these days. And then you get them in such a hurry because you know, their life might end if they lose half a second of driving? They come down the on ramp a group of 8 to 10 cars bumper-to-bumper. So essentially it’s not a car that needs to merge, it’s a #### train. And they can’t figure out why there’s no room for 12 cars going bumper to bumper to get in on the freeway. Bunch of idiots out there.

 

I would gladly, but it’s not my household. It would be of no aid to you.

 

So we just got our newest batch of truck and trailers on the road and a new? safety feature is if the engine brake is on and you let up on the pedal it lights up the brake lights and the 3rd light up high on our trailers pulsates.
Boy you should see the traffic behind scatter.
Like roaches when the light comes on.
Brake lights now mean race to get around slowing vehicle.

 

I get the idea behind that, i believe it’s a “feature” on most new trucks. I still think it’s stupid, but then most “drivers” will absolutely run into the back of a truck slowing down if they don’t see brake lights.

 

^^^ this!!! It really is never just one that causes the issue for me! It is the train. But I can see it coming and I do all the work...always...always will.....always have. I just did this morning. I left at 715 am so every ramp for 30 miles was a train of cars. I fluctuated between 62 and 55 and owned every single ramp. I would have just went center or left but my truck was still warming up so I just hung back and owned like a boss.

 

It has been around for awhile. My 2016 has the feature enabled in the software

 

Run in the middle lane just a little slower than the speed limit, this allows traffic to merge on and off with ease and other drivers can slip past you on either side easily and safely.

 

There really is an art to running the right lane and dealing with merging traffic...

Id much rather deal with merging traffic than lose all of my outs running the middle lane.... The best thing you can do with the mergers, is dont leave them to their own devices... Meaning, you have to make the decision for them. being either they are going to have to speed up to merge (which means you slowing down to create space in front of you) or they are going to have to get behind you (which means you speeding up). Now you have to be mindful of traffic around you as well. It does no good to speed up if theres traffic behind you, because there is no room to merge... Instead if you slow down in this scenario , the traffic behind you is most likely to going to change lanes to the left and open a space behind you but going to takeaway an out to your left, so u are going to have to slow way down to open that out or speed back up to get that space back behind you - its all dependant on where the merging traffic is at in this point....

It really is all based on the context of traffic pattern you have around you.... Now thats not to say that sometimes it just way better to be in the middle lane - particularly when u run into those cloverleaf on/off ramps, its best to just not be in the merge lane at all....

Now if you run into where theres like 10 cars all merging bumper to bumper at the same speed , i will typically find the biggest gap that i can get to, within reason, and position my truck right there and make the decision for the car behind that gap that they will have to get behind me to merge.. .... But theres really an art to it. Its all timing.. You have to constantly watch people and how they drive. You need to be looking at the overpasses and underpasses to watch for cars turning onto the on ramp at that point so u can then take stock in the traffic around you and come up with a plan for whats gonna happen if the person merging is going to match your speed... You have tk know what people are most likely going to do, before they even know they are going to do it....

Now thats not to say this works all the time.. Some people are just stupid, but a good driver not only creates outs for himself but gives outs to the traffic around him as well.. That applies to this 100%...i think alot of guys run into problems with mergers because they dont give the mergers an out, they just run them on the shoulder - and that is perfectly fine every once in awhile, theres nothing you can do because either the on ramp is to short with to much traffic or everyone is merging bumper to bumper.. Somebody is going to have to eat the #### sandwhich - and it wont be me because i have a duty to maintain traffic flow as the right away holder... I used to have a huge problem early on when i started driving a truck. Dealing with Merging traffic was one of the things i hated the most.. Because it ls very dangerous, but i constantly put myself in the right lane thru every big city and every merge opportunity, so i could become good at it... very rarely anymore am i ever at risk of wrecking with merging traffic because of what I have mentioned here... But u have to remeber that even know the highway traffic has the right away, that doesnt give you the right to not let someone merge.. The right away argument comes to fruition when you have done all you can do , and the merger is just a complete idiot and will race around you on the shoulder and cause a wreck or wreck themselves... Just remeber about what most abulance chasing lawyers think about trucks and truck drivers. It's best to avoid putting yourself where its your company vs a lawyer.. ..

Good luck and happy merging.