Merge

Do people know what this word means? It is becoming increasingly more and more obvious to me that an astounding majority of those holding driver's licenses in the RTP area do not. Sure, they understand that it means their lane is ending and they have to move over ... they get that part. The part they seem to not understand is making sure there isn't someone already in the space they are trying to enter.

Just yesterday, on my return trip from seeing my parents, I was cruising along in the far right lane behind a transfer truck and was pretty much locked into my position by surrounding traffic. At some point I became aware of a vehicle from a right merge lane trying to put his car where mine was ... while I was still there. There really wasn't anywhere for me to go (and even if there had been I didn't want to change lanes) so the only thing there was for me to do was start honking the horn before the prehistoric tank-car collided with my passenger side. Fortunately, that was avoided.

But here's what I don't get ... don't they cover this stuff in driver's ed? Even if they don't, are these people blind? How can you not see a car that you're about to run over? Isn't it common sense to look before you put your moving vehicle into a different lane? I am amazed that something as simple as merging is beyond the understanding of so many.

Come on, folks, get a dictionary if you don't know what it means.