The Do’s And Don’ts Of Merging Lanes
Merging lanes on a multi-lane road can be scary for new drivers. But in this guide from LTrent Driving School, we’ll discuss a few dos and don’ts of merging lanes safely. Read on and see how you can respect other road users, follow road rules, and merge easily on any road!
The Do’s Of Merging Lanes
When merging lanes, DO:
● Speed up to match the legal speed of traffic – You need to match the speed of vehicles in the lane you are moving to. This ensures traffic flow doesn’t have to slow down to let you into the lane.
● Check your blind spots – Make sure to use your mirrors and do head checks to look for cars in your blind spots when entering traffic and merging. If you fail to notice a car in your blind spot, this can lead to a collision!
● Yield to merging traffic – If you’re driving on a highway in the left lane and a lane of traffic is merging with your lane, you’re responsible for yielding as the lanes merge. Always let merging traffic into your lane when it’s safe to do so!
● Cross only one lane of traffic at a time – Don’t immediately cross multiple lanes of traffic when entering a road. Switch one lane at a time when it’s safe to do so until you reach your desired lane.
The Don’ts Of Merging Lanes
When merging lanes, DON’T:
● Slow down before you join traffic – If you are traveling below the speed limit and below the speed of the road users already on the highway, you could put yourself into a dangerous situation. It may seem safer to slow down until you know you can join traffic safely, but this is a bad idea!
● Slow down before you enter your desired lane – If you are turning left off an exit, for example, don’t slow down until you’ve entered the turning lane and have merged with traffic. Slowing down in other lanes can confuse other road users, especially if you slow down before trying to move across multiple lanes of traffic.
● Focus too much on the lane line – You need to stay within the white lines and lane lines of the road, but focusing too much on this may mean you don’t pay enough attention to traffic, which can lead to a dangerous on-road situation.
Having Trouble Merging? Get Help From LTrent Driving School
Poor merging skills can put you in danger and make highway driving very stressful. If you’re struggling to merge safely, LTrent Driving School is here to help. Our professional driving instructors can help you focus on specific areas where your driving can improve, such as merging on the highway. LTrent Driving School also provides the service of the NSW Safers Drivers Course giving further insight into safe driving knowledge gifting young drivers with experience which could be life saving as well as 20 logbook hours.