We’ve all been there. You’re driving on the highway, and up ahead either your lane is ending or you need to switch lanes because the road splits. To make matters worse, this situation has somehow slowed traffic to a crawl. Do you anticipate what’s coming and move over with plenty of time, even while knowing you’ll have to sit and wait while other people zoom past you to cut in late… or are you one of the drivers who zips ahead and cuts everyone off to save a few minutes?

In his new book, “Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What it Says About Us),” author Tom Vanderbilt investigates our patterns and behaviors on the roadways. Having always been an “early merger,” one day while driving Vanderbilt impulsively drove ahead in the ending lane and merged in at the last minute. Afterwards, his action bothered him so much that he posted a question on the internet about merging behaviors. Stunned by the amount of passionate responses he received, he began researching the psychology of driving behaviors and eventually organized all his research to write the book.

So which is better - merging early or late? Supporters of late merging claim that it uses full capacity of the road, while early mergers think that late mergers are cutting in line. According to “Traffic,” studies have shown that late merging can improve traffic flow by 15% when vehicle volume is heavy.

Whether you’re a late or early merger, the most important thing to remember is to be aware of your surroundings when driving and anticipate problems before they arise. There will always be someone who cuts in at the last minute - giving yourself enough room between you and the car in front of you can be a key factor in preventing an accident.

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Tags: General Auto, travel //