BOISE, Idaho — Merging can sometimes be tricky or even nerve-racking if everyone isn't working together. KTVB spoke with experts to understand the proper way to merge on Idaho roads.
For merging onto freeways, there are color-coded commands painted on the road to guide you through it.
You'll see three different transitions:
- The first white section labels the area of a driver entering the on-ramp.
- The second color you'll see is yellow. This is the acceleration zone, where drivers should be increasing their speed.
- The line will turn white again. This is where drivers put their blinkers and start to merge.
If freeway traffic is light, merging should be no problem, according to Robert Fenn, owner of Idaho Driving School.
Cars on the freeway have the right-of-way and it's the merger's responsibility to try and merge with freeway drivers. But when there's traffic, cars on the freeway need to allow merging cars in, Fenn said.
"I was trying to merge and like, there was traffic all the way through the merging lane," Diamond Chester, a local driver said. "And no one would let me in."
Another driver had a positive merging experience.
"If someone lets me on, I'll actually give a little prayer and ask the Lord to bless them and give them a calm day," Trent Parent, a local driver said. "And similarly, if I'm in that position, I always try to let people in."
But merging isn't just for getting onto freeways. Merging also happens on city streets. These roads don't have color-coded commands.
"There are definitely occasions where I have to kind of maneuver my way in, and it feels a little bit out of sync," Milton Link, a local driver said.
You could encounter a situation where the lane you're traveling in closes ahead, and you'll need to get over into the open lane. These situations are known as zipper merging.
According to the Idaho Transportation Department, you should keep traffic moving and move over into the open lane at the front "point of merge." That's when it's considered your turn to get over.
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