Yesterday, I riffed on a common driving phenomenon: the premature merge.
While I described the phenomenon, I didn’t bother trying to explain it. I spent the last day pondering this—why do we insist on the early merge?
One reason it surprises me is that the typical reaction to future-task-that-must-be-done (merging lanes, in this case) is to procrastinate.
But people don’t procrastinate when it comes to merging: drivers often do it right away, as soon as a road sign gives them notice.
The explanation that occurred to me is that people hate being trapped. Does anyone like trying to make a left turn across a busy four-lane road? Often, you’ll need to wait minutes and minutes for an opportunity.
So when people see the merge sign, they think of the terror of being stuck at the merge point, turn signal flashing and panic-sweating as they crane their heads around to look for an opening in the oncoming stream of cars.
So they get in the lane early—can you blame them?
The irony is that waiting until the actual merge point to merge is better for everyone. It just involves a little risk. Yes, you might get stuck—but, more likely, you’ll get where you’re going a few seconds faster and also ease the congestion for everyone else.
Taylor Coe 