To think if you don't let people join stationary traffic you're a dick.

[WhyBeADick]

I hate drivers who do this, I don't get why you'd be a dick for the sake of saving yourself 1 second.

Sat in stationary or slow moving traffic, if there is someone waiting on a side road to join I would always let them in, I can't go anywhere and I need to leave a gap for people in the opposite direction wanting to go up that road anyway so why not? After they'd gone, id move up and I imagine the person behind me would then let the next person in if anymore were waiting and so on...

Yet I see so many drivers speeding up on purpose if they see someone trying to join or not letting cars in when they can't go anywhere anyway. What's the point of being a cunt? It saves about 1 second of your journey!

I give in

It's quite possible we are both right depending on the circumstances. (If you choose to read the parts you don't like!) However, like I've said before and I'll say again, we get the warning ahead of time, if someone decides to fly up then I find noone usually let's them in, there's usually a group of cars that all block them, until someone gives in! However, if lanes are slowly merging, or there's a junction, then of course I'll let people out. Just not the pushy ones who think they have a God given right to push through. Shouldn't bother them too much as they get in eventually though!

I hate the merging thing. I know what people are like about not letting anyone in, so I have to admit I end up joining the queue to save myself the stress of waiting while pissed off people pretend they haven't noticed me because I dared to drive up the empty lane. But I do let other people in.

As regards drivers coming out of side streets, I do let them out because I absolutely appreciate being let out myself. But if they drive straight up to the junction and start impatiently nudging their way out, I get a bit pissed off and let them sit there and stew. I know it's petty, but I hate bad manners and that sense of entitlement some drivers have.

20 cars in two lanes or 20 cars in one lane, still both equal 20 cars. If you have a funnel it doesn't matter whether the substance in the funnel is segmented in 2... There is still only one exit ;)

This would be correct if there were only 40 cars or if the traffic was moving steady.

But when you’re stopped or very slow moving then cars are going to continue to come and you have people who’ve been waiting in the left lane for a long time for a car who hasn’t long been on that road to overtake them and then make the cars in the left lane wait longer.

On my regular roads we also try and stick to the left when traffic is slow or stopped because more often than not it’s an accident and it won’t be long until police or an ambulance needs to get past.

When traffic is moving steady/at a normal pace then use both lanes.

When traffic is stopped or going very slowly then use just the left lane.

I have no issue with driving down an empty right hand lane at a busy roundabout, and going right round to turn left. More people should do it 🙊

Ah yes the slingshot

I almost always let people on side roads join the road in front of me, I smile and wave them on. The exception is if it is some entitled looking tosser in an Audi or un necessary Range Rover, then I don't.

People are selfish today. Nobody wants to ease down abit and let you out or let you go. Have seen people deliberately speed up rather than let you out.
Not much courtesy left on the road sadly today.

It really depends on how I’m feeling - v rarely I’m just grumpy being sat in traffic, leading to a lack of consideration for others.

Mostly, I’m aware that I appreciate being let in to main traffic flow and will let others in.

So the exact opposite of the Highway Code then?

brilliant

This.

This thread has been enlightening, I had no idea people who run up the fast lane and then cut in, had a serious way of justifying this to themselves!

Yes traffic might be more efficient if we had robot drivers who merged seamlessly at the last point possible, but that just doesn’t happen and it doesn’t justify being rude and skipping the queue!

'Had a serious way of justifying themselves', yes , the Highway Code!

Yes, it keeps the flow of traffic moving, the same as merging in traffic does. I also let drivers turning right go through, I leave a gap so both left and right lanes are free for drivers turning into ormoutnofnthe side road. Common courtesy.

Do you know what really pisses me off? Seeing inconsiderate drivers speeding up to close the gap when they see/hear a motorbike coming up on the outside of them in a queue of traffic. Motorcycle riders are allowed to do this, again it’s Merging. By closing the gap it leaves the bike rider with nowhere to go, he’s in the oncoming traffic. I’ve seen drivers swerve to the right to stop them merging.
Biker hasn’t got a big metal box with a wheel on each corner to protect him/her all they have is their wits and a helmet, leathers and skill.
Rant over, former biker. Retired.

If on the other hand you're on a motorway or fast dual carriageway in freeflowing traffic and road signs indicate that your lane is closed up ahead then it's best, and safest to move over early when you've got time to pick a safe gap in the adjacent lane rather than wait until the last second when the line of cones gives you no choice but to move across, possibly forcing other vehicles around you to brake to make space

This is what the 'merge at the very last point of the end of the lane' drivers ignore. You see it all the time - traffic in the left lane doing a steady 30, drivers moving over at some point between 600 & 200, all going well, and then someone decides to interpret the Highway Code by overtaking the 30mph cars, going right up to the lane closed point, braking hard, then trying to squeeze into a gap between 2 cars. They can't, because they haven't adjusted their speed downwards gradually and merged in further back, so the car in the line they're trying to squeeze into has to brake to let them in, the car behind that one has to brake, and so on...and then before you know it the left hand lane is stop/start and backing up.

Has it ever occurred to you op, that you might be being inconsiderate to those behind you? (You might not be either but Not knowing the road you're talking about, we can't know this).
Consider this hypothetical scenario...
Person needs to get from point A on one long main road to point B. There are 100 side roads in between A and B. You join on 98th side road, and happily wave one person in on side road 99. You move forward one spot and expect person behind you to do exactly the same. This happens on all 99 side roads. Poor sod at the very back of the main road queue never ever moves.

I will try to keep the traffic flowing by letting people out, but in heavy traffic I'm not doing it at every junction like lady bountiful. I've been behind people that do it to varying degrees and its annoying AF.

This is the problem
”skipping the queue”

it’s not that, it’s doing what everyone is supposed to and the people sitting there tutting while a whole smoky lane is sitting there wasted are the problem. You can decide the Highway Code is irrelevant if you like but those people sticking to it aren’t “skipping the queue”

every time there’s a driving thread on here I understand why driving standards are so poor!

'Had a serious way of justifying themselves', yes , the Highway Code!

😂 it's amazing that people think following the Highway Code needs justifying.. I guess they're just admitting they have no clue. And as for 'skipping the queue' 🤦🏻‍♀️😂

So you’d apply that rationale and be happy to not be let in from one of those side roads? 🤔

Aren’t we discussing the circumstances described by the OP? Where traffic is not free flowing and therefore it is correct to zip merge?!

This is why we get such long tailbacks! You're supposed to use both lanes and merge in turn.

Yes, I always let people out of a side road.

If the rude people who chose to queue behaved as they should then the problem would be solved.

If queuing folks stop seeing those using the open lane as “skipping the queue” and drove properly then everyone would merge properly and traffic would flow much better.

The “justification” is the Highway Code and how you are supposed to drive. Expecting other people to stop driving properly is just bonkers.

Asoppsed to people who don't understand the Highway Code being convinced that they're right?

www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/driving-advice/zip-merging/