[Stealth22]

Originally Posted by squiggs96

The onus is on the driver who wants to switch lanes to make the adjustment, not everyone else. This isn't a merge, where all parties have be aware. You should treat switching lanes like a yield sign.

If someone didn't plan ahead and is trying to change lanes 50m before their turn, they are at fault. If someone is trying to squeeze in front of you in rush hour traffic over a painted island, they are at fault.

The driver changing lanes has a responsibility to do so safely. But they don't have to yield to you. If that was the case, no one would ever be able to change lanes, and would have to completely stop and wait until every single car in the other lane had passed.

As long as conditions are safe for them, the onus is on YOU to let them change lanes, not the other way around. You can't explicitly block a vehicle from overtaking or changing lanes ahead of you. If they're being an ass and jumping in front of you, then they're making an unsafe lane change and would be pulled over if a cop was behind you. But sharing the road is everyone's responsibility.

From the AB Traffic Safety Act: http://www.qp.alberta.ca/documents/Regs/2002_304.pdf

21(2) Except when overtaking and passing on the right is permitted, a
person driving a vehicle that is being overtaken by another vehicle
(a) shall give way to the right in favour of the overtaking
vehicle, and
(b) shall not increase the speed of the overtaken vehicle until
the overtaken vehicle is completely passed by the
overtaking vehicle.

Originally Posted by Igster

Point being guys, if the driver merging used his head a little, it would have been a pretty easy situation. I didn't need to do anything for him to merge safely and I couldn't get in the other lane anyway as there was a car right beside me. If he had sped up a bit I would have easily let off the gas to let him in. I'm not going to stop pretty much to let him merge.

No, of course you shouldn't stop. You're supposed to take all reasonable precautions to let him in, though. He has a responsibility to merge safely, and you have a responsibility to do everything that you can to let him merge safely.

In practical terms, should he have used his head? Yes. Should he have adjusted his speed to merge safely? Absolutely. The TSA is just a piece of paper. From a legal standpoint, he's technically not allowed to exceed the speed limit. But if he goes 110 or 120 briefly in a 100 zone to complete his merge ahead of you safely, no cop is going to pull him over for that.

But at the same time, you had some responsibility in that situation. If he's coming down the merge lane and ends up behind you, you have nothing to worry about. Ahead of you, you should be slowing up a tad to let him in. If he ends up right next to you, the onus is technically on him to speed up or slow down to merge safely.

But all you really had to do was either speed up or slow down to make some room. If I see someone coming down a ramp and it looks like they'll end up right next to me, I'll speed up if I can, or slow down to make room for them. It's just defensive driving.

In that situation, did you have to do that? No. But does it take much effort to speed up to 105 or 110 (or even slow down) and create a gap when you're at 98 in a 100 zone? You tell me.