Road Etiquette regarding Merging
So many areas of driving require following the rules of the road, that at times it seems they must cover all aspects of driving. This is not the case however, and thus there are certain rules that drivers should follow simply to make the driving experience as pleasant and safe as possible for everyone on the road. Very few driving instances prove this point more clearly than do those rules of etiquette that apply to merging, and this is because merging, by its very nature, requires drivers to offer consideration to one another.
Merging occurs because traffic is moving too quickly for people to simply turn onto a road. They need to get up to speed before joining the traffic that is already moving in the same direction at very high speeds. The trouble comes because merge lanes end as they join the forward lane, and thus, those that are trying to merge, must merge, or they will run out of road and wind up on the shoulder unable to join the high speed traffic until they are able to find a gap long enough for them to get up to speed. Inherent in this whole process is the necessity of the drivers that are already on the road either slowing down to allow those that need to merge, or speeding up to get out of the way and allow the merging car to come in behind them. This is where etiquette comes in.
When a vehicle is in the merge lane, attempting to move over, they have little choice about what to do. Thus, they are in a sense, at the mercy of drivers that are occupying the lane that the merging vehicle needs to merge into. On the other hand, those drivers that are already on the road and see up ahead that one or more vehicles need to merge, have a choice. They can choose to be kind, considerate and careful drivers, or they can be selfish.
This is actually what is at the heart of any discussion of etiquette; people choosing to speak or behave in ways that benefit other people and may offer little or no reward for themselves. Of course in so doing they may avert harsh words, or in the case of driving, an accident.
People that find themselves in the position of having to either slow down to allow a driver to merge in front of them, or in the case of more than one lane driving, to move into the passing lane to allow others drivers room to merge, need to use their common sense, as well as their sense of decency and fair play; and not just because next time it might be you that is trying to do the merging, but because playing fair on the roads, or in other areas of life is what defines us as civilized, decent people. Allowing someone to merge shows that you are decent person, or at least one that understands that not allowing someone to merge might put both you and the other vehicle in danger.
Thus, people need to follow driving etiquette while merging.
