Is it true that Texans don’t know how to merge? I constantly hear that complaint from people in my defensive driving classes. Those people who have relocated here for jobs during the recession. So, the real truth revealed is that some states merging rules or laws are just the opposite of ours in Texas. So what’s the skinny on Merging in the Lone Star State?
In Texas, traffic on the freeway has the right of way. Traffic entering the freeway must yield to traffic already on the freeway. And traffic exiting the freeway has the right of way. Traffic on the access road must yield to traffic exiting the freeway. Or, perhaps a better way of understanding this is, the higher speed traffic (the more dangerous speed) always has the right of way over the lower speed traffic.
Some states merging laws are just the opposite of ours in Texas. Primarily states on the east coast. Those states include Connecticut, Vermont, Delaware, New Jersey, Michigan, Iowa, Oklahoma and many more. So, it is understandable why people relocating to Texas from any of those states, feel that Texans don’t know how to merge.
Another problem in Texas is our dangerously short ramps. Although traffic entering the ramp must yield to traffic already on the freeway, people are speeding in the slow lane (yet another problem). So, those cars entering the freeway begin to speed up before entering the ramp, and don’t yield to the short exit ramp that may be dangerously close to the entrance ramp. So, while all of our freeways in Texas are under construction to widen them, at the same time, they are lengthening the ramps where they can, which is a brilliant solution. Another issue with short exit ramps is traffic exiting the freeway at freeway speed, rather than exit ramp speed. This has become a hazard to those cars on the access roads that refuse to yield the right of way to exiting traffic. So, with newer, longer exit ramps it will be much safer for exiting traffic as well.
Until next week…
Daun Thompson
Writer / Comedienne / Artist
Merging – Comedy Defensive Driving