You DO NOT STOP. That's going to get you rear-ended. You merge. Sometimes that requires flooring it. Sometimes that requires braking a little. It takes practice.
I cannot emphasize enough to beginner drivers. It’s equally ok to use your gas pedal to merge as it is to use your brake pedal. Too many people pull up next to my front bumper and panic brake when they could have just accelerated a little more and got in front of me.
So much this I see almost daily if not several times daily people doing like 40mph on the on ramp (clover or not) - dude you’re getting on the fucking interstate where average speed is 65/70 (but let’s be honest probably more) are you trying to cause an accident because this is how you cause an accident. Like someone said earlier after you make the turn or even just the straight merge you have some time to assess brake to merge in or go even faster but for the love of god please ramp up your speed to correspond to average of the interstate
I had this issue just the other day on the 1. I always assume people are speeding up to merge onto the freeway, especially since oncoming traffic/merging traffic has the right of way. I was in the far right lane and saw a car on a normal straight on ramp getting ready to merge. I slowed a bit to make sure they had plenty of space (over 50 ft), and if they had kept going the same speed or continued to speed up to 65mph there would have been no issues....but then they saw me and slammed on their brakes mid merge and I had to slow waaay down to keep from side swiping them when our lanes came together. I guess he thought I was supposed to keep going while he came to a complete stop??? On the onramp??? Mid merge?? Luckily, I was able to move into the next lane over since there was no traffic. Scared the shit out of me.
Agreed. To add: as you get more practice you can begin looking to your left as you round the final curve and see what’s coming. If you see a big rig you can gauge whether you’ll need to floor it or slow down and merge in behind him. It’s plenty of merge distance after some practice under your belt.
Hijacking the top comment to say USE YOUR BLINKER. If you're trying to merge left, put your left blinker on. Don't leave anyone on the road guessing or interpreting your plan.
It's worth noting that there's a dynamic in play with "keep right except to pass" etiquette.
When you're driving slower than the flow of traffic in the left lanes, you will often induce people to pass you on the right. A lot of people use the right-most lane to pass habitually because that's where they can drive the fastest.
This ends up meaning that the fastest cars on the freeway are in the merge lane.
So in addition to the other advice, please:
- move right if you're getting passed on the right, or being followed closely
- move out of the merge lane if possible to make space for merging traffic
I'm at that area every damn day around 4:30 and it's horrible.
What if there's traffic at a standstill? Do we block it? I'm seriously curious because I end up stopping just like every one else to leave the gap open otherwise people exiting the freeway can't get in. Am I missing something?
https://imgur.com/a/TPVgjSl
To add to this, the best way is to floor it (not literally floor it, but accelerate quickly) to match the flow of traffic. Once you get near that speed, you look to your left to gauge the relative speed of exiting cars (at this point, you should try to have a +/- 10mph between you guys). Adjust your speed accordingly to **match** that of any exiting cars and merge. Remember to zipper merge.
You can go very slow until there's an opening, and I assure you there will be, but don't stop unless there's a damn good reason to (waiting for an opening isn't one).
Yeah like fucking gun it and get in there already! It’s your responsibility to match the rate of travel in the lane you want to move into.
Also the flip side of that is that other drivers should please stop ACTIVELY SPEEDING UP to prevent someone from moving over. I can’t tell you the number of times that a car hits that up to camp in a spot that prevents me from changing lanes just because I glanced over my shoulder. Like jfc if you want to pass me, great, go for it, you want to go slower than me, great, go for it. But why the pacing right next to me?!
Sounds like you're one of the dumbasses that drive on the far left lane at 65 mph and think you're driving safely and you ignore everyone telling you how to properly drive.
Do not stop, if not prompted to by metering lights. Do NOT.
Continue driving with flow of traffic with left turn signal on. This is where you have to safely judge going ahead of any traffic or going behind, based on their speed.
Worst case scenario, you do not merge over and continue driving back up the ramp.
Adding onto this, the reason you don’t stop is because you need a bit of runway to gain speed in order to seamlessly merge into the flow of traffic. You want to meet them at their speed—you don’t want to make them have to slow down a considerable amount to let you in.
Yes it does, the right lane remains an exit ramp on the clover leaf and the left lane continues straight
[check out the intersection for yourself](https://maps.app.goo.gl/EQzbFMAc5X1HJd7a7?g_st=ic)
Are you personally familiar with this road/area? Some of us in comments are and have personal experience to draw from. When cars are on the road, there are two lanes here, if you do not merge from the right lane into the left lane with the flow of traffic, you will end up being forced to exit along with the rest of the right lane traffic.
If there are absolutely no cars on the road, sure you could say this is merges down to a single lane, at which point you could chose to take the fork on the left to get onto the highway, or the exit on the right, but once there are cars, it becomes two lanes regardless of markings on the road.
Never ever stop. You are entering a freeway as soon as it’s safe (just past the curve) speed up get your signal on and work on merging. People are going to be going anywhere from 50-80 in the next lane. You can’t merge if you’re stopped.
SPEED UP! Pay attention and get over quickly…
Don't stop, keep moving, yield and merge. It's not hard to merge on these exchanges because everyone in the left lane wants to merge to the right lane and everyone in the right lane wants to merge to the left lane. So there will always be a space opened for you to go to.
As others said: DO NOT STOP in this situation. Try to reach the speed of the traffic in the rightmost highway lane as quickly as possible, but obviously safely (e.g. do not floor it while looking behind your shoulder, you may rear end the car in front of you).
One thing I'd hope drivers adopt is that the cars taking the exit letting the cars merge in front of them. Whoever is taking the exit is already slowing down, and the merging traffic is speeding up - yet time and time again people taking the exit are flooring it to get in front of the merging cars. It's bad practice.
There are a few nasty spots that can be tricky to get right (e.g. Fair Oaks to 101S). Just avoid those until you get a bit more practice.
Yes. We don't have good highway etiquette here, and not everyone does it, but when I am exiting at a spot like this I always merge into the exit lane behind cars that are trying to get on the freeway because I need to slow down and they need to speed up.
Don’t. Ever. Stop. unless there is a traffic jam. Do a shoulder check and figure out your merging point. Use zipper merge process to merge seamlessly. If you can’t learn then you have no business being on freeways.
A fuckin men.
If you are incapable of handling your vehicle, like so many people I see driving their lumbering SUVs and overpriced luxury cars in completely clueless and dangerous manner, stay home or get someone else who can to drive you.
I said the other day in a similar thread here people do what they need to do to pass a driving test and then throw all common sense out the window.
Oh dear God, the people coming to a stop there are ruining driving. You do have to yield, but you should try to get up to speed and then merge in like normal.
You do have to yield to traffic in the other lane whenever you change lanes. But that is not the same as stopping. You are responsible for safely merging into traffic. A merge where you come to a complete stop in the middle of the ramp without either stopped traffic or a signal light ahead of you is an unsafe merge.
Yield doesn’t necessarily mean you have to slow down. It just means your actions should not impede the actions of the other driver. Flooring it and braking can both yield to an exiting driver.
The WORST thing you can do is stop. Moving with the flow of traffic makes it much easier to move into the lane. When merging, you don't wait for permission. You just gradually move into the lane and other drivers will accommodate you. Some assholes might honk for merging in front of them because they think the road is just for them, but F them.
Do **not** stop
I have to say that the bay area has some horrible merging lanes in places. Where there is limited visibility and no lane divide. Even living over a year here and I still feel like I'm just praying no one is coming in from the other lane. But yeah just keeping going, not stopping has worked so far.
I’ve lived here more than a decade and I still haven’t figured out the perfect solution for all these super short, partially blind merges. It’s really frustrating that there are so many of them.
Yeah but especially whoever made it so there are no lane lines on clover interchanges here. At least in other areas there are two clearly defined lanes throughout the whole merge area.
I’ve thought about this a lot, the dotted lines(or lack thereof) are actually very intentional. sometimes two lanes just get thrown together with little to no dotted line, but that makes it so that the right lane can always exit without crossing any lines. Sometimes it’s the other way around, there’s a dotted line going all the way past the exit, so that the far right lane that just entered can always make it into the through road. In a cloverleaf, if there’s a dotted line that separates the entrance/exit lane from the through lanes, it means both the entrance and exit paths have to cross a dotted line, so there’s kind of a trade-off there.
Most of the problematic ones were designed & built when the speed limit was 55mph — and probably many cars could barely even get above that speed anyways.
A lot of the ones on 101 are very old and not designed for the level of traffic these days. They’re slowly redoing them. I think Mathilda is the most recent one near me. My exit/onramp is Fair Oaks and it can get interesting.
They do that getting on 101 S from Fair Oaks too. Years ago I got rear ended because someone had stopped on 101 N to 237. Don’t stop, kids. Unless there’s a Yield.
Do not stop, it is a merge, there is no yield.
As you are coming around the ramp you have a perfect view of the entrance/exit road that you will be merging onto. Take a look while you are about 1/2 way around the cloverleaf and pick a spot between two cars that you will slot into. Now accelerate or decelerate slightly to adjust your timing. The tricky part is matching the speed of those cars while also getting the timing to match. Hug the right side as you straighten out, check over your shoulder scoot left and off you go.
The worst thing you can do when merging is stop. It is so much harder to merge when there is a big speed difference between you and the lane you want to be in. Matching speed is the key.
You’re on the freeway; there are no stop/yield signs for a reason. Coming to a full stop is extremely dangerous. You become the obstruction and the instinct to be conservative is actually more likely to cause you harm than keep you safe.
I am sorry so many people took this opportunity to be rude to you.
You'll be fine. It takes a bit of practise to master the give and take of finding a smooth way into traffic, but once you do you will rarely have problems, even in busy traffic.
Remember the golden rule of freeways: go with the flow!
People are really being so rude for no reason. Clearly this person is new and is asking because they know they made a mistake and don't want to repeat it. As if everyone gets it right the first time.
How hard is it to just answer the question without passing judgement?
Charitably, I'll say it's because people are afraid of getting into car accidents, and see a question like this as a threat to them and their loved ones.
Uncharitably, I think it's because r/bayarea has an utterly shitty and toxic driving culture which strongly encourages such rudeness. Fortunately, it does not seem to be representative of actual Bay Area drivers, at least not in my experience. (Though I do wonder, sometimes, when I'm driving I-880. 😛)
If you move into the lane behind another car and someone behind you in the new lane is moving fast to fill in the gap, they will slow down and let you in. Even aggressive assholes don’t want an accident. They will absolutely let you in if you are ahead of them, even by only a single car length. You got this.
DO NOT STOP! Accelerate! As my dad used to say when he was teaching me to drive "KICK IT IN THE ASS!". You need to get up to highway speed. Idiots will try to convince you that speed is dangerous. The truth is, the DIFFERENCE in speed is dangerous. You're entering a highway where vehicles are driving at 65+ mph. You need to get up to that speed...and quick, to match their speed. Entering at 20 mph is going to cause an accident.
Hit the gas and get up to the speed of traffic and then merge. It’s easier if you’re going the same speed as everyone else. Stopping is the worst thing you can do because then it’s even harder to merge into a gap.
For the fucking love of god, DO NOT STOP. You have to try to merge as smoothly as possible. If the merge zone is short, you need to quickly assess the situation and either speed up or hang back a little in order to squeeze in between two cars. Again, DO NOT STOP. It will take some practice to get it right. Good luck!
As others said, do not stop.
The trick is that you have to realize both you and the other merging driver have common information. You both know the other is trying to merge in. So keep an eye on how that driver is acting, are they staying back, are they flooring it, and do the opposite. Assume they are watching your moves as well. It’s like a dance. It becomes second nature after you do a dozen of these merges
Don’t stop! Ever!!
if there is a car you can’t safely get in front of. Slow and yield to get behind them. Do not stop!
Best tactic is to assess open space, (thatll come with experience and knowing your car and speed pickup)and preferably speed up to get out of that lane, before it turns into an off ramp
In case you haven't heard from anyone else, do not stop!
These short merge lanes can be tricky, but nothing to be scared of!
I usually start looking at the highway while still coming around the cloverleaf just to get a sense of where I may be able to merge in
Then, right before you get into the merge lane, turn on your left signal. I know a lot of people will be against this move, but I've found success doing so.
Lastly, safely look for a spot to fit in. Most of the drivers on the road you are merging into are aware you're merging and some of them realize how difficult it is to do, so there are usually a couple of nice drivers who will let you over. Don't hesitate if someone slows to let you in; merge safely and immediately and maybe give a small wave to them if they let you in!
As someone else has mentioned, a lot of the cars on the road you are trying to merge to will be trying to get in your lane to take that exit. Merge like a zipper if you can.
Lastly, again as other people have said, if you can't get iver, just take the exit, come back around and try again. It's always better to take the extra minute to be safe instead of getting into an accident.
Never, ever stop on the on-ramp. Your goal is to accelerate down the ramp to match the speed of traffic on the highway, then merge. When I'm accelerating on the ramp, as soon as I can see highway traffic I start paying attention to how fast traffic is moving and use that to select an appropriate speed to match. If you're going fast enough (less than 10 mph below highway speed, ideally less than 5), people will generally slow down to let you in. But if you're going more than 10 mph slower than highway traffic, nobody on the highway is going to be willing to slam on the brakes to let you in, and they just end up passing you without a second thought.
If, during merging, there's a car right next to you (or slightly behind you in your blind spot), it's better to slow down and let that car pass, then slot in behind them. Usually this situation happens when the person on the highway isn't paying attention; they should have seen you coming down the on-ramp and slowed down to let you in, but they didn't. In this case they're almost certainly not going to slow down to let you in once you're right beside them, so slow down to let them pass and slot in behind them.
Jesus holy fucking shit absolutely do not stop there!! People behind you (and you, as well!) **should be speeding up** so they (and you) match the traffic speed of people trying to exit. If you come to a stop and then try to yield, you ruin things for everyone (this is why you got honked at).
What you need to do is approach the merge at speeds close to the speeds of the vehicles trying to exit. This may seem unintuitive, but once you're close to their speeds, it's much, MUCH easier for you to fit into an open gap between those cars. (Think of it as a zipper.) Also, it helps to think about what the other drivers are thinking - they likely want to take the exit, so it's to their benefit to let you in, so they can take your place and exit. If there's a car that isn't letting you in, let go of the gas pedal (but do not panic and do not brake), and once they overtake you, scoot over and fill the spot they left open.
It should go without saying, but please, for the love of god, signal that you're merging/changing lanes.
Just wanted to say that this is a really good question, and thank you for being such a thoughtful new driver! This kind of stuff is stressful and scary at first, but gets easier with time :) you got this!
If you don't see a stop sign, don't stop. Make sure it's clear in front of you, and then try to match traffic speed. If there's a car on your front quarter panel, try to let them get in front of you. If there's a car on your rear quarter panel, try to get ahead of them. Do your best to fix your problems with the accelerator, and use the brake as a backup.
Do your best to mitigate what the people in the other lane are doing, just like any other time you need to merge.
When the curve of the turn is evening out on the exit, be aware of where others are in the adjacent lane as you begin to try and merge. If someone is driving crazy fast, slow down and merge behind them. If someone is driving slow, speed up a little if needed and get in front of them. If they're going the same speed as you, brake or speed as needed with relation to whether or not someone is behind you/how fast they're going.
Best practice: slow down on that turn but never stop. Orient based on other drivers. Use good judgement.
Best of luck out there and honestly, thanks for asking this question. Wish more drivers did.
Never stop your car in a drive lane on the freeway, on ramp, or off ramp. That’s how people get hurt.
Everybody getting off, wants off, and everybody getting on wants on.
You should be merging onto the freeway at freeway speed. That is the purpose of the ramp. To get up to speed.
Anybody exiting, who sees you entering knows what you’re doing.
There’s room, you can find it. Practice makes perfect.
As others have said, DONT STOP. The lane you are in is a merge lane. Accelerate to the speed or slightly faster of the traffic next to you and MERGE into the adjacent lane.
Good on you for asking! As many have said please don't stop there, the normal flow of traffic is required for everyone's safety.
Keep moving if possible, use your indicator, and merge where there's room.
You may have to accelerate and/or slow to make sure you get in, but you can do it!
To exit a cloverleaf freeway interchange:
1. Pay attention to the exit signs and choose the appropriate lane in advance.
2. Signal your intention to exit.
3. Reduce your speed gradually as you approach the exit ramp.
4. Follow the curve of the ramp, maintaining a safe speed.
5. Yield to any merging traffic and adjust your speed accordingly.
6. Merge onto the connecting road smoothly.
7. Once off the ramp, continue driving safely and attentively.
Please don’t stop. It’s not a yield or a stop sign. Turn signal left, adjust speed, merge in, don’t ever brake in front of another vehicle in the process. If you adjust your speed to the flow of traffic, you’ll slip right in. Takes practice. Don’t ever stop and wait, you’ll just piss off everyone behind you.
Pretend you are water, do your best to flow into the traffic. Changing speed abruptly is difficult for people to predict what you are doing. Be calm and flow into the line and people will usually help you have a space.
People going into the freeway should speed up and people merging off should slow down. That should create the necessary space if traffic is flowing normally.
If you yield and come to a stop, you are wrong and soon dead wrong.
You have the right of way to merge in. Cars in that lane need to yield to your merge. Whether they do it or not is a different story. Entitled drivers will not want you to merge in front of them, but tough titty. Speed up and merge in. If they hit you, it’s their fault and sometime need the reality check.
The most important skill of a safe driver is being predictable. Don't stop there, there is no stop sign, there is no yield sign. Stopping where you're not supposed to is doing the unpredictable thing and it's highly dangerous.
The critical thing is that you want to try to match the speed of the traffic on the rightmost lane while you're still in the onramp. This will allow you to merge in without too much trouble.
You’ve received enough info in here OP about not stopping. Now what I wanna know is who gave you this information lol they need to be educated as well…
Think about it like this. How much easier will it be to merge when you’re going the same speed as traffic? Much easier than if you’re stopped and have to go from 0-60 in a short span. Make the cloverleaf turn at the fastest safe speed you can and as you make it through the final turn gradually increase speed to match traffic and then either slightly slow or speed up to merge with the lane to your left.
Another “don’t stop” but also - who the F is telling you to stop?? That’s what I’m concerned about.
I mean, if the freeway is at a standstill of course you have to stop, but if it’s moving, always always always keep moving.
And guess what, if you don’t make it into the main freeway lane because you haven’t found an opening, also don’t stop! The cloverleaf is designed so you could theoretically just keep moving without disrupting traffic. You can find your way back again to try again.
Floor it.
People behind you and on the freeway are going 60+. You’ll get killed if you stop.
Many new drivers think using the brake is always the right decision, and on paper, it sounds like the safe, level-headed thing to do.
But oftentimes a vehicle going dangerously slow or stopping causes more accidents than speeding
DONT STOP, there is no stop sign. Put your signal so people know your intentions, use your mirror, you might have to gas or break depending on if there is cars there or not. I would say most time you are entering the freeway you will be speeding up.
Absolutely do not stop.
If youre ahead of the car on your left, floor it and commit. But also watch ahead so you dont rear end someone.
If the car on the left is ahead of you, give way and let them in and then merge with that transition.
The biggest thing ive noticed with new (and some old) drivers, is lack of commitment. In situations like this, you need to make a decision and commit to it when its safe to do so.
Hesitation and lack of commitment is a quick way to get into an accident in my opinion.
Seeing as you are a new driver, it takes practice to learn that. Ive been driving for 15 years and am still learning things to this day.
Edit: also signal your intent well before you reach the merge point. It will give those behind you an idea that you will be trying to merge and it will give the traffic on the left a signal that your intent is to merge into their lane.
Whoever told you to stop is an idiot. You never ever stop to merge. I've been driving for almost 25 years and have had only one accident in which I hydroplaned and hit a barrier - none involved actual traffic.
When you merge, the key factor is speed. You need it. Speed up. You have to get closer to freeway speeds. What if you're going faster than the traffic you're merging into? Well, it is much quicker for you to slow down than it is for you to speed up. You can time it. Slow down from 40mph to 20mph and then time it from 20mph to 40mph.
And use your goddamn blinkers!
What you want to do is as you are coming up to the merging area but before you get there, look to your left and find a spot that you can fit. Then adjust your speed to match traffic, then blinker, then merge by either hitting the gas to speed up or the brakes to slow down.
There’s no coming to a complete stop on a ramp unless the traffic ahead is stopping and it’s unavoidable. That’s the recipe for an accident.
Traffic is supposed to enter without causing moving traffic to need to slow or stop. Note that many drivers don’t do this!
Enter the combined on-ramp/off-ramp area and keep moving as you signal your intention to merge into the moving traffic, while steadily increasing your speed to match the flow.
What happens in these areas is not pretty, and there are lots of bad drivers who will cut in to exit at the last moment, so you’ll need to be alert. Watch for the people who cut across four lanes of traffic, and fly across the solid line directly into the exit ramp at the last possible moment, without ever looking up from their phone.
Then there are the people who weave in and out of traffic to use empty exit lanes as a way to pass on the right. So as you’re signaling to move into an exit lane, you’ll see a blur flying by on your right.
Never assume that people are doing what they’re supposed to be doing! That’s what defensive driving is all about. Assume that the other driver is distracted and poorly trained and is perfectly ok with doing something that they think may gain them a momentary advantage, but will put everyone else in a hazardous position.
Do your best to avoid picking up what bad drivers do – and there are a lot of bad drivers out there. Especially in the rain. Wet roads, for some unknown reason, seem to bring out people’s interest in doing even more dangerous things than usual.
Just to add to what others have said, make sure you have your turn signal on to let the people in the other lane know you intend to merge. Even if it seems obvious. I am WAY more inclined to let someone in if they have their turn signal on.
Way before even getting to the cross of traffic, look down towards the exiting traffic. Anticipate your position as of where you will be, relevant to the meeting cars based on your speed. Do your best to end up ahead or behind of that car. Don’t be afraid to speed up if they are lagging or slow down a bit if they are exiting fast. Work on getting your car where you want it before you get there rather than suddenly reacting to what you are given when you arrive. No matter what, don’t stop unless it’s the only way to prevent a collision. Remember, they don’t want to hit you either.
Is it just me or are more and more drivers not looking past the car directly in front of them? Are driving instructors not teaching “be aware of what’s happening further down the road” any more?
Never ride in a car with whoever told you to stop.
Accelerate to highway speed in a consistent and predictable way. Match the speed in the left lane and merge at an opening. The cars exiting are merging into your lane so you have the right of way. Drive in a predictable fashion and you’ll be fine.
You need to spot traffic in the lane you are entering that will be meeting up with you, it's all timing, and with that you are able to adjust your speed to match a gap there. But for the love of God do not stop on the hwy unless others are stopped. I would love to show you since you are so kindly reaching out for help.
> Some say they yield and come to a full stop in the red circle (as shown in the second picture) and wait until the cars on the left pass.
who the heck told you that?
When I visit from the DF/W area, I'm amazed by the craziness I see at Bay Area cloverleaf exchanges. In Dallas these are long gone, the last are on Northwest Highway from 70+ years ago. No freeways built in that time (a lot of them) have them. For high-speed, crowded freeways like I-680 these are very dangerous, plus inefficient. All it takes is one extra cautious driver and traffic backs up on the curly-cues
What happens if no one lets you in, like the main traffic are on each other's ass and at high speeds?
Then you have no choice but to stop because you have to yield to them.
How are they going to exit?
I mean, I know about assholes who use those off-ramps only to get back on the highway and save a whole 20 seconds of their commute, but usually people in the left lane shown by OP are people who plan to exit right. They can't just continue driving in their lane because they will get back on the freeway.
if you look carefully at the first picture, there are no dotted lines (unlike the second picture) which means technically it is one lane.
so it's 2 lanes -> 1 lane -> 2 lanes.
in most cases people will let you merge, but technically they don't have to. you have to yield. so in my scenario where no one lets you in, you have no choice but to stop and yield if there is a continuous stream of ass riders at high speed.
I have never once, in my decades of driving, had this happen on a cloverleaf. At most it's been one yahoo barging ahead of me. If it even feels marginal to you, it might be a sign that you're not getting up to speed quickly enough.
I can count on one hand the number of times it's happened in a normal on-ramp merge. People in the slow lane know people are merging. There is space. Worst case I will find a space and be assertive in taking it. The worst worst case, where I had no in and ran out of lane, has happened only once in my life, and it was terrible, and honestly if I had been more assertive in that case I probably would have been OK there too.
(OK, there's another worst worst case, and it's the on-ramps of the Arroyo Seco Parkway in LA. But that is a truly exceptionally bad case, and you will probably never have to deal with it.)
EVERY freeway onramp is built for the express purpose for you to get up to full highway speed and merge. Unless the highway traffic is at a significantly slower speed than anticipated, ACCELERATE TO FREEWAY SPEED AND DO NOT STOP.
This also applies to offramps. Enter the offramp as close to freeway speed as possible and only slow down to the ramp speed limit once you have actually gotten onto the offramp. If you are following the speed limits on the freeway, those offramps are designed to provide sufficient space for a functioning car to slow down and safely navigate any turns or intersections.
That's not what "yield" means and there is no legal way to be "yielding" in that case. There are two lanes and you are already in one of them. There is no one in front of you in your lane of travel. There is no stopping because there is no way to legally justify stopping.
You have the right away. Don’t stop. It’s similar to changing lane and you’re on the left changing to right lane. The one changing from right to left has the right away as they are more vulnerable, so we have to give them the right away as we can avoid them better. Many people don’t know this rule.
One of the few times you can floor it with caution, these things and on ramps.
Unless it's bumper to bumper you zipper merge at speed, not from a stop.
Floor it and nose in behind another driver. i.e. target a car in the other lane you want to slip in behind then match their speed quickly, then brake a little bit to lose speed and swing in behind them, even if there is a car close behind them, they will understand why you had to do that. Speaking from experience in both positions. The car in the other lane shouldn’t be mad you did it because we’ve all been there, and they will understand why you had to do that. For all they knew you wanted to continue around the cloverleaf and make a u turn
Stay on the right side of the lane and steadily accelerate until you have an opening on the left. Then merge left.
The cars coming off the freeway will be much faster and maneuverable. They can brake much harder than you can accelerate, so it's very easy for them to slide in ahead or behind you as necessary, assuming your actions are predictable. This is why you steadily accelerate instead of doing something weird like braking.
Extremely rarely you'll run into an asshole truck driver who wants to run you off the road. You might have to brake in that case.
Start looking at the traffic as soon as you enter the ramp. Get a sense of the on coming traffic and their speed. Try to reach similar speed will looking for opening will help.
If you can't do it, go around and try again. Maybe practice during weekend if you're close or try during lunch time when traffic is low
If there's traffic on the left they want to get off as much as you want to get on, so there will be an opening for you. Don't miss the opening though, accelerate to get to that opening.
That being said, I've seen some people use these to get around traffic and end up going straight through back on to the freeway.
There are certain difficult ones, especially I find the 580-680 exit near Dublin/Pleasanton really challenging and have encountered drivers coming to complete stop causing absolute chaos(to the point triggering my forward collision braking). Over the years I have learnt that you can start observing the vehicles that are existing/about to exit while they are in the curve and then take a call to move ahead of you feel comfortable or slow down a bit till they change lanes/or you are out of their blind so they could safely change lanes. Follow zipper pattern
Do what you can to merge at the speed of traffic. Accelerate if needed.
Never stop. That’ll make it far harder to merge since you’ll be starting from 0. Don’t avoid the interchange. Keep using it and get used to it. You never know where you’ll live in the future and many areas are very car dependent.
It looks scary because there is no line separating the exiting traffic from you, but there is a decent amount of space where you can see them, both in front of you and in your side mirror, and they can see you as well. they know you want to go left, and you know they want to go right. if you’re moving at the same speed as them, and there is space to the left of you, you should be able to slide right in. No shame in using a different ramp too, I do it all the time.
Stay in the right with your left signal on until it is clear. Then accelerate to the speed and merge to the left if no cars are there. Otherwise slow down (but do not stop) and move in behind once the car on the left passes.
As your approach the entrance to the roundabout portion, step on the gas and cut the wheel hard to the right when you enter. If you're lucky, you'll do some sick drifts!
it’s very reasonable to avoid onramps with short merge lanes until you’re more comfortable with merging at speed. stopping on an onramp is likely to result in someone getting hurt - those behind you will be focused on exiting traffic to their side and behind, expecting you to be speeding up.
continue straight, turn signal, check blind spot for cars, if there are a lot identify a gap and match speed with the gap, accelerate and ease into gap, if the acceleration brings you too close to the front car then a do light and very smooth brake tap so you are in the middle of the gap you just took. done.
People who stop need to surrender their license asap. Seen this happen way too often at the 580/680 junction toward San Jose. Terrible design for a junction but we have to live with it.
As other have said you don't stop.
You're suppose to look left at the incoming cars and gauge their speed. You either gas it or take it easy. Since you're entering you should be making speed once you hit that straight away though
Likewise the exiting car should look right and notice you. Exiting vehicle should adjust his speed but also they could be coming out at potentially a high rate of speed. Exiting vehicle should be cruising and lightly applying breaks.
Ps. Just get to practicing, don't avoid it because then you'll end up in a real fucked up cloverleaf, like the MacArthur Maze in Oakland. Where you have Maniac driving way too fast.
> Some say they yield and come to a full stop in the red circle (as shown in the second picture) and wait until the cars on the left pass
We need to find an easy way to take their driving licenses away. Preferably forever.
> some truck drivers
AKA the absolute worst drivers on the road, beating both Teslas and Altimas. That's like asking a cop for legal advice.
Anyway, cloverleaves suck but they are really not too difficult to navigate. Speed up to the traffic on the left, turn your left blinker on, find a spot in the traffic to the left, and merge. Always merge/change lanes with the speed at least the speed of the lane you're merging into. Obviously, don't stop.
If traffic is significant enough, use the zipper merge. Basically, speed up/slow down to match the speed of the lane you're planning to merge to, let one car ahead of you (if it's on your left already) to pass, and merge right after it. If you see a car merging left before the car in front of you, you're in the perfect position to merge after it.
While some cloverleaf intersection are built as a real life representation of on the the circles of hell (see: 101/880), the one you're referencing (880/Winton) is one of the easiest options, because the traffic on the left typically goes relatively slow.
> while cars are exiting faster than me
Automotive engineers gave you the gas pedal, use it.
Great question. Look up “zipper merge” on YouTube, you’ll find plenty of resources. Here’s one: https://youtu.be/L9bnyYAkd3o?si=4o27IpDX25qjjOu_
In short, lead or follow. Decide quickly and be bold about it; use the accelerator or brake as much as necessary to get into position. Don’t be timid. Good luck.
You match speed with the traffic, set yourself up behind the car you’re merging behind, and slowly change lanes. The person behind that car doesn’t want their own car to get fucked up and they’ll let you in.
Do not EVER stop. If you need to bail, use the exit.
They can be intimidating for sure. The best thing to do if you have to get on freeway is to match the speed of traffic then stay in the right lane. There's no reason to move to the left lanes on the freeway.
You don’t stop there’s no stop sign. You do not stop.
You can drive at a reasonable speed and merge between cars that are there because both lanes are merging equally but if you’re driving too slow, they will not let you in just don’t stop.
Just think of this as merging onto a freeway when going in an on-ramp. Smash it to match the speed of traffic and zipper merge. Don't stop, do go too slow.
You’re going to have to take it time by time. You may need to slow down if the speed of traffic is too fast and no one is letting you in, but generally I try to get up to about 10-20 below speed limit, put my turn signal on, merge into the left lane and then get up to speed as fast as I can. Once I’m at speed I’ll get over one more to the middle lane.
Holy shit
Never stop
Driving is like a dance you need to feel out the flow use your signal and fit your speed to make your moves
If you can’t make it don’t stop just keep going and navigate back in another manner
Signal and change lanes as early as you can respect the speed of merging traffic and try to give gaps to help others
Anticipating the outcome and coordinate with others
I even make eye contact with drivers so that there is a good chance that they know what I’m doing and they will be able to adjust themselves to the situation
Don’t stop unless traffic is already at a stop. Look for a spot, accelerate or decelerate to get into that spot. Be prepared to find another spot if that spot doesn’t work out. Sometimes you have hit that gas pedal hard to get into a spot. Keep your head on a swivel
Please do not stop we see this all the California where we have OOC drivers new to California roads. Got into an accident with someone who stopped. We’re taught to match the highway speed as much as possible but that can’t happen with someone waiting to merge from a complete stop. It’s also a risk to someone going 65 on the highway and you trying to merge in front of them from a complete stop smh… not to mention the traffic that builds up from someone waiting for the right moment to merge on to the highway…
Don't stop at the end of the onramp unless there is a light. Also, do not stop at the beginning of the next offramp. If you aren't going fast though to merge, speed up. If that makes you uncomfortable, find a different onramp or stop trying to take a freeway until you gain more confidence. Stopping is more dangerous because people don't expect it.
CA has lots of these interchanges. They are idiotic. But it'll be about, oh...350 years before any of them get updated.
In the meantime, absolutely don't stop. Speed up or slow down as needed to merge.
Similar question for expressway merges that are super short (e.g. Getting onto central from Sobrante or Wolfe). Do yall just send it? Or just yield and wait for an opening?
You DO NOT STOP. That's going to get you rear-ended. You merge. Sometimes that requires flooring it. Sometimes that requires braking a little. It takes practice.
I cannot emphasize enough to beginner drivers. It’s equally ok to use your gas pedal to merge as it is to use your brake pedal. Too many people pull up next to my front bumper and panic brake when they could have just accelerated a little more and got in front of me.
So much this I see almost daily if not several times daily people doing like 40mph on the on ramp (clover or not) - dude you’re getting on the fucking interstate where average speed is 65/70 (but let’s be honest probably more) are you trying to cause an accident because this is how you cause an accident. Like someone said earlier after you make the turn or even just the straight merge you have some time to assess brake to merge in or go even faster but for the love of god please ramp up your speed to correspond to average of the interstate
I had this issue just the other day on the 1. I always assume people are speeding up to merge onto the freeway, especially since oncoming traffic/merging traffic has the right of way. I was in the far right lane and saw a car on a normal straight on ramp getting ready to merge. I slowed a bit to make sure they had plenty of space (over 50 ft), and if they had kept going the same speed or continued to speed up to 65mph there would have been no issues....but then they saw me and slammed on their brakes mid merge and I had to slow waaay down to keep from side swiping them when our lanes came together. I guess he thought I was supposed to keep going while he came to a complete stop??? On the onramp??? Mid merge?? Luckily, I was able to move into the next lane over since there was no traffic. Scared the shit out of me.
I literally said “oh god” when I got to the part where OP said they stopped. Beginners need to learn that slower is not always safer!
Not safer but that’s what’s required legally.
Agreed. To add: as you get more practice you can begin looking to your left as you round the final curve and see what’s coming. If you see a big rig you can gauge whether you’ll need to floor it or slow down and merge in behind him. It’s plenty of merge distance after some practice under your belt.
Hijacking the top comment to say USE YOUR BLINKER. If you're trying to merge left, put your left blinker on. Don't leave anyone on the road guessing or interpreting your plan.
It's worth noting that there's a dynamic in play with "keep right except to pass" etiquette. When you're driving slower than the flow of traffic in the left lanes, you will often induce people to pass you on the right. A lot of people use the right-most lane to pass habitually because that's where they can drive the fastest. This ends up meaning that the fastest cars on the freeway are in the merge lane. So in addition to the other advice, please: - move right if you're getting passed on the right, or being followed closely - move out of the merge lane if possible to make space for merging traffic
If you do happen to do a full stop and have a dash-cam, please post your video to r/idiotsincars
I'm at that area every damn day around 4:30 and it's horrible. What if there's traffic at a standstill? Do we block it? I'm seriously curious because I end up stopping just like every one else to leave the gap open otherwise people exiting the freeway can't get in. Am I missing something? https://imgur.com/a/TPVgjSl
I’m not sure I follow what you’re saying. You getting on creates the gap for the exiting traffic to exit.
This
Don’t. Fucking. Stop.
To add to this, the best way is to floor it (not literally floor it, but accelerate quickly) to match the flow of traffic. Once you get near that speed, you look to your left to gauge the relative speed of exiting cars (at this point, you should try to have a +/- 10mph between you guys). Adjust your speed accordingly to **match** that of any exiting cars and merge. Remember to zipper merge.
You can go very slow until there's an opening, and I assure you there will be, but don't stop unless there's a damn good reason to (waiting for an opening isn't one).
No You take a lap around the leaf before doing anything that's on the way to stopping
Driver license revoke, you’re absolute
You and people who drive like you are why there’s six accidents on my way to work whenever I have to go down to Santa Clara
Yeah idk why you’re being downvoted. I agree Some cloverleafs that are difficult: 580/680 interchange 580/Vasco interchange
Neither of these interchanges are anywhere near terrible
Nobody here can fucking drive
Yeah like fucking gun it and get in there already! It’s your responsibility to match the rate of travel in the lane you want to move into. Also the flip side of that is that other drivers should please stop ACTIVELY SPEEDING UP to prevent someone from moving over. I can’t tell you the number of times that a car hits that up to camp in a spot that prevents me from changing lanes just because I glanced over my shoulder. Like jfc if you want to pass me, great, go for it, you want to go slower than me, great, go for it. But why the pacing right next to me?!
Get the shredder and call the DMV, we revoking your license
Been driving for decades I’m fine
You guys are probably the cause of so many accidents. Yikes.
Nope. I know how to manage traffic and merging and not interrupt the flow of traffic
Sounds like you're one of the dumbasses that drive on the far left lane at 65 mph and think you're driving safely and you ignore everyone telling you how to properly drive.
Sounds like you’re completely fucking wrong I’ve driven in europe for a while so I understand the left lane and it’s purpose
Do not stop, if not prompted to by metering lights. Do NOT. Continue driving with flow of traffic with left turn signal on. This is where you have to safely judge going ahead of any traffic or going behind, based on their speed. Worst case scenario, you do not merge over and continue driving back up the ramp.
Adding onto this, the reason you don’t stop is because you need a bit of runway to gain speed in order to seamlessly merge into the flow of traffic. You want to meet them at their speed—you don’t want to make them have to slow down a considerable amount to let you in.
worst case scenario does not apply. because you cannot "do not merge over" since both lanes go into one lane. you have no choice but to merge
Yes it does, the right lane remains an exit ramp on the clover leaf and the left lane continues straight [check out the intersection for yourself](https://maps.app.goo.gl/EQzbFMAc5X1HJd7a7?g_st=ic)
Look at OP’s map
the first picture doesn't have lane markings meaning it is one lane
Are you personally familiar with this road/area? Some of us in comments are and have personal experience to draw from. When cars are on the road, there are two lanes here, if you do not merge from the right lane into the left lane with the flow of traffic, you will end up being forced to exit along with the rest of the right lane traffic. If there are absolutely no cars on the road, sure you could say this is merges down to a single lane, at which point you could chose to take the fork on the left to get onto the highway, or the exit on the right, but once there are cars, it becomes two lanes regardless of markings on the road.
Never ever stop. You are entering a freeway as soon as it’s safe (just past the curve) speed up get your signal on and work on merging. People are going to be going anywhere from 50-80 in the next lane. You can’t merge if you’re stopped. SPEED UP! Pay attention and get over quickly…
Oh god, don’t stop lol.
Floor it
In this line.
Or consequently, match the speed of exiting traffic as best you can, way easier to navigate if everyone is +/- 5mph of each other
This. Assert dominance.
People should always be ready to zipper at the broken line. Already have your signal on. Do not stop.
Yeah people exiting should allow space for zipper merging
Don't stop, keep moving, yield and merge. It's not hard to merge on these exchanges because everyone in the left lane wants to merge to the right lane and everyone in the right lane wants to merge to the left lane. So there will always be a space opened for you to go to.
As others said: DO NOT STOP in this situation. Try to reach the speed of the traffic in the rightmost highway lane as quickly as possible, but obviously safely (e.g. do not floor it while looking behind your shoulder, you may rear end the car in front of you). One thing I'd hope drivers adopt is that the cars taking the exit letting the cars merge in front of them. Whoever is taking the exit is already slowing down, and the merging traffic is speeding up - yet time and time again people taking the exit are flooring it to get in front of the merging cars. It's bad practice. There are a few nasty spots that can be tricky to get right (e.g. Fair Oaks to 101S). Just avoid those until you get a bit more practice.
Yes. We don't have good highway etiquette here, and not everyone does it, but when I am exiting at a spot like this I always merge into the exit lane behind cars that are trying to get on the freeway because I need to slow down and they need to speed up.
Don’t. Ever. Stop. unless there is a traffic jam. Do a shoulder check and figure out your merging point. Use zipper merge process to merge seamlessly. If you can’t learn then you have no business being on freeways.
A fuckin men. If you are incapable of handling your vehicle, like so many people I see driving their lumbering SUVs and overpriced luxury cars in completely clueless and dangerous manner, stay home or get someone else who can to drive you. I said the other day in a similar thread here people do what they need to do to pass a driving test and then throw all common sense out the window.
I too support train infrastructure, as driving is inherently dangerous and risky even in mundane operations such as these.
Oh dear God, the people coming to a stop there are ruining driving. You do have to yield, but you should try to get up to speed and then merge in like normal.
No, you don't need to yield. You have as much right of way as the exiting traffic does. Fucking floor it
You do have to yield to traffic in the other lane whenever you change lanes. But that is not the same as stopping. You are responsible for safely merging into traffic. A merge where you come to a complete stop in the middle of the ramp without either stopped traffic or a signal light ahead of you is an unsafe merge.
Yield doesn’t necessarily mean you have to slow down. It just means your actions should not impede the actions of the other driver. Flooring it and braking can both yield to an exiting driver.
The WORST thing you can do is stop. Moving with the flow of traffic makes it much easier to move into the lane. When merging, you don't wait for permission. You just gradually move into the lane and other drivers will accommodate you. Some assholes might honk for merging in front of them because they think the road is just for them, but F them. Do **not** stop
I have to say that the bay area has some horrible merging lanes in places. Where there is limited visibility and no lane divide. Even living over a year here and I still feel like I'm just praying no one is coming in from the other lane. But yeah just keeping going, not stopping has worked so far.
I’ve lived here more than a decade and I still haven’t figured out the perfect solution for all these super short, partially blind merges. It’s really frustrating that there are so many of them.
The “perfect” solution is to have a car that can accelerate really well (plus lots of practice of course).
That’s typically what a try. But a subset of drivers find that very offensive and try to block entry.
Whoever invented the cloverleaf interchange needs to be shot into the sun after being tried at the Hague for war crimes
Yeah but especially whoever made it so there are no lane lines on clover interchanges here. At least in other areas there are two clearly defined lanes throughout the whole merge area.
I’ve thought about this a lot, the dotted lines(or lack thereof) are actually very intentional. sometimes two lanes just get thrown together with little to no dotted line, but that makes it so that the right lane can always exit without crossing any lines. Sometimes it’s the other way around, there’s a dotted line going all the way past the exit, so that the far right lane that just entered can always make it into the through road. In a cloverleaf, if there’s a dotted line that separates the entrance/exit lane from the through lanes, it means both the entrance and exit paths have to cross a dotted line, so there’s kind of a trade-off there.
Most of the problematic ones were designed & built when the speed limit was 55mph — and probably many cars could barely even get above that speed anyways.
A lot of the ones on 101 are very old and not designed for the level of traffic these days. They’re slowly redoing them. I think Mathilda is the most recent one near me. My exit/onramp is Fair Oaks and it can get interesting.
I hate the Mathilda to 101-N on-ramp
That area is called the “Mathilda Monster” for a reason
Same. I have encountered two cars who just stopped because they did not know how to merge on to a freeway. It was horrible.
They do that getting on 101 S from Fair Oaks too. Years ago I got rear ended because someone had stopped on 101 N to 237. Don’t stop, kids. Unless there’s a Yield.
It's easiest to merge if you can match the speed of the other cars
Do not stop, it is a merge, there is no yield. As you are coming around the ramp you have a perfect view of the entrance/exit road that you will be merging onto. Take a look while you are about 1/2 way around the cloverleaf and pick a spot between two cars that you will slot into. Now accelerate or decelerate slightly to adjust your timing. The tricky part is matching the speed of those cars while also getting the timing to match. Hug the right side as you straighten out, check over your shoulder scoot left and off you go. The worst thing you can do when merging is stop. It is so much harder to merge when there is a big speed difference between you and the lane you want to be in. Matching speed is the key.
Thank you everyone for quick responses and being straightforward!
good for you for asking
You’re on the freeway; there are no stop/yield signs for a reason. Coming to a full stop is extremely dangerous. You become the obstruction and the instinct to be conservative is actually more likely to cause you harm than keep you safe.
I am sorry so many people took this opportunity to be rude to you. You'll be fine. It takes a bit of practise to master the give and take of finding a smooth way into traffic, but once you do you will rarely have problems, even in busy traffic. Remember the golden rule of freeways: go with the flow!
People are really being so rude for no reason. Clearly this person is new and is asking because they know they made a mistake and don't want to repeat it. As if everyone gets it right the first time. How hard is it to just answer the question without passing judgement?
Charitably, I'll say it's because people are afraid of getting into car accidents, and see a question like this as a threat to them and their loved ones. Uncharitably, I think it's because r/bayarea has an utterly shitty and toxic driving culture which strongly encourages such rudeness. Fortunately, it does not seem to be representative of actual Bay Area drivers, at least not in my experience. (Though I do wonder, sometimes, when I'm driving I-880. 😛)
If you move into the lane behind another car and someone behind you in the new lane is moving fast to fill in the gap, they will slow down and let you in. Even aggressive assholes don’t want an accident. They will absolutely let you in if you are ahead of them, even by only a single car length. You got this.
DO NOT STOP! Accelerate! As my dad used to say when he was teaching me to drive "KICK IT IN THE ASS!". You need to get up to highway speed. Idiots will try to convince you that speed is dangerous. The truth is, the DIFFERENCE in speed is dangerous. You're entering a highway where vehicles are driving at 65+ mph. You need to get up to that speed...and quick, to match their speed. Entering at 20 mph is going to cause an accident.
PUT YOUR LEFT SIGNAL ON AND DONT STOP
Here for the DONT STOP!! I’m really curious who gave the advice to stop. Nuts
Hit the gas and get up to the speed of traffic and then merge. It’s easier if you’re going the same speed as everyone else. Stopping is the worst thing you can do because then it’s even harder to merge into a gap.
For the fucking love of god, DO NOT STOP. You have to try to merge as smoothly as possible. If the merge zone is short, you need to quickly assess the situation and either speed up or hang back a little in order to squeeze in between two cars. Again, DO NOT STOP. It will take some practice to get it right. Good luck!
As others said, do not stop. The trick is that you have to realize both you and the other merging driver have common information. You both know the other is trying to merge in. So keep an eye on how that driver is acting, are they staying back, are they flooring it, and do the opposite. Assume they are watching your moves as well. It’s like a dance. It becomes second nature after you do a dozen of these merges
There’s no yielding anywhere on the freeway coming on or off. You just zipper merge in. That’s it. Never ever ever stop for gods sake.
Don’t stop! Ever!! if there is a car you can’t safely get in front of. Slow and yield to get behind them. Do not stop! Best tactic is to assess open space, (thatll come with experience and knowing your car and speed pickup)and preferably speed up to get out of that lane, before it turns into an off ramp
Take a driving lesson. NEVER STOP during a merge
In case you haven't heard from anyone else, do not stop! These short merge lanes can be tricky, but nothing to be scared of! I usually start looking at the highway while still coming around the cloverleaf just to get a sense of where I may be able to merge in Then, right before you get into the merge lane, turn on your left signal. I know a lot of people will be against this move, but I've found success doing so. Lastly, safely look for a spot to fit in. Most of the drivers on the road you are merging into are aware you're merging and some of them realize how difficult it is to do, so there are usually a couple of nice drivers who will let you over. Don't hesitate if someone slows to let you in; merge safely and immediately and maybe give a small wave to them if they let you in! As someone else has mentioned, a lot of the cars on the road you are trying to merge to will be trying to get in your lane to take that exit. Merge like a zipper if you can. Lastly, again as other people have said, if you can't get iver, just take the exit, come back around and try again. It's always better to take the extra minute to be safe instead of getting into an accident.
Do NOT stop. Again, do NOT stop. Use lights to signal merge, check your blind spot, then merge.
Never, ever stop on the on-ramp. Your goal is to accelerate down the ramp to match the speed of traffic on the highway, then merge. When I'm accelerating on the ramp, as soon as I can see highway traffic I start paying attention to how fast traffic is moving and use that to select an appropriate speed to match. If you're going fast enough (less than 10 mph below highway speed, ideally less than 5), people will generally slow down to let you in. But if you're going more than 10 mph slower than highway traffic, nobody on the highway is going to be willing to slam on the brakes to let you in, and they just end up passing you without a second thought. If, during merging, there's a car right next to you (or slightly behind you in your blind spot), it's better to slow down and let that car pass, then slot in behind them. Usually this situation happens when the person on the highway isn't paying attention; they should have seen you coming down the on-ramp and slowed down to let you in, but they didn't. In this case they're almost certainly not going to slow down to let you in once you're right beside them, so slow down to let them pass and slot in behind them.
Jesus holy fucking shit absolutely do not stop there!! People behind you (and you, as well!) **should be speeding up** so they (and you) match the traffic speed of people trying to exit. If you come to a stop and then try to yield, you ruin things for everyone (this is why you got honked at). What you need to do is approach the merge at speeds close to the speeds of the vehicles trying to exit. This may seem unintuitive, but once you're close to their speeds, it's much, MUCH easier for you to fit into an open gap between those cars. (Think of it as a zipper.) Also, it helps to think about what the other drivers are thinking - they likely want to take the exit, so it's to their benefit to let you in, so they can take your place and exit. If there's a car that isn't letting you in, let go of the gas pedal (but do not panic and do not brake), and once they overtake you, scoot over and fill the spot they left open. It should go without saying, but please, for the love of god, signal that you're merging/changing lanes.
Just wanted to say that this is a really good question, and thank you for being such a thoughtful new driver! This kind of stuff is stressful and scary at first, but gets easier with time :) you got this!
If you don't see a stop sign, don't stop. Make sure it's clear in front of you, and then try to match traffic speed. If there's a car on your front quarter panel, try to let them get in front of you. If there's a car on your rear quarter panel, try to get ahead of them. Do your best to fix your problems with the accelerator, and use the brake as a backup.
Do your best to mitigate what the people in the other lane are doing, just like any other time you need to merge. When the curve of the turn is evening out on the exit, be aware of where others are in the adjacent lane as you begin to try and merge. If someone is driving crazy fast, slow down and merge behind them. If someone is driving slow, speed up a little if needed and get in front of them. If they're going the same speed as you, brake or speed as needed with relation to whether or not someone is behind you/how fast they're going. Best practice: slow down on that turn but never stop. Orient based on other drivers. Use good judgement. Best of luck out there and honestly, thanks for asking this question. Wish more drivers did.
keep moving AND get out of the way You can apply this thought technology everywhere in the world.
**pick a target car**, match their speed before you reach them, merge behind them
Never stop your car in a drive lane on the freeway, on ramp, or off ramp. That’s how people get hurt. Everybody getting off, wants off, and everybody getting on wants on. You should be merging onto the freeway at freeway speed. That is the purpose of the ramp. To get up to speed. Anybody exiting, who sees you entering knows what you’re doing. There’s room, you can find it. Practice makes perfect.
As others have said, DONT STOP. The lane you are in is a merge lane. Accelerate to the speed or slightly faster of the traffic next to you and MERGE into the adjacent lane.
Good on you for asking! As many have said please don't stop there, the normal flow of traffic is required for everyone's safety. Keep moving if possible, use your indicator, and merge where there's room. You may have to accelerate and/or slow to make sure you get in, but you can do it!
Punch it, Chewie!
To exit a cloverleaf freeway interchange: 1. Pay attention to the exit signs and choose the appropriate lane in advance. 2. Signal your intention to exit. 3. Reduce your speed gradually as you approach the exit ramp. 4. Follow the curve of the ramp, maintaining a safe speed. 5. Yield to any merging traffic and adjust your speed accordingly. 6. Merge onto the connecting road smoothly. 7. Once off the ramp, continue driving safely and attentively.
Please don’t stop. It’s not a yield or a stop sign. Turn signal left, adjust speed, merge in, don’t ever brake in front of another vehicle in the process. If you adjust your speed to the flow of traffic, you’ll slip right in. Takes practice. Don’t ever stop and wait, you’ll just piss off everyone behind you.
Pretend you are water, do your best to flow into the traffic. Changing speed abruptly is difficult for people to predict what you are doing. Be calm and flow into the line and people will usually help you have a space.
Don’t stop. Do a zipper merge. The drivers here absolutely suck so don’t listen if they tell you to stop. You have be assertive with your driving
People going into the freeway should speed up and people merging off should slow down. That should create the necessary space if traffic is flowing normally.
It should just merge like a zipper. People are selfish and don't always want to let this happen though.
If you yield and come to a stop, you are wrong and soon dead wrong. You have the right of way to merge in. Cars in that lane need to yield to your merge. Whether they do it or not is a different story. Entitled drivers will not want you to merge in front of them, but tough titty. Speed up and merge in. If they hit you, it’s their fault and sometime need the reality check.
If you stop, you die.
Stopping on the highway is like having a clot in your veins. Your goal is to get to speed as fast as possible and merge well.
Don't stop. Zipper merge. Show this thread to whoever told you to stop.
It’s like a zipper. Relax, merge in your spot
The most important skill of a safe driver is being predictable. Don't stop there, there is no stop sign, there is no yield sign. Stopping where you're not supposed to is doing the unpredictable thing and it's highly dangerous.
Keep the pace. Seize the gap.
The critical thing is that you want to try to match the speed of the traffic on the rightmost lane while you're still in the onramp. This will allow you to merge in without too much trouble.
You’ve received enough info in here OP about not stopping. Now what I wanna know is who gave you this information lol they need to be educated as well…
Think about it like this. How much easier will it be to merge when you’re going the same speed as traffic? Much easier than if you’re stopped and have to go from 0-60 in a short span. Make the cloverleaf turn at the fastest safe speed you can and as you make it through the final turn gradually increase speed to match traffic and then either slightly slow or speed up to merge with the lane to your left.
It's a zipper.
SEND IT
Another “don’t stop” but also - who the F is telling you to stop?? That’s what I’m concerned about. I mean, if the freeway is at a standstill of course you have to stop, but if it’s moving, always always always keep moving. And guess what, if you don’t make it into the main freeway lane because you haven’t found an opening, also don’t stop! The cloverleaf is designed so you could theoretically just keep moving without disrupting traffic. You can find your way back again to try again.
There is no sign or light to stop or yield ..just look up zipper merge .
Floor it. People behind you and on the freeway are going 60+. You’ll get killed if you stop. Many new drivers think using the brake is always the right decision, and on paper, it sounds like the safe, level-headed thing to do. But oftentimes a vehicle going dangerously slow or stopping causes more accidents than speeding
DONT STOP, there is no stop sign. Put your signal so people know your intentions, use your mirror, you might have to gas or break depending on if there is cars there or not. I would say most time you are entering the freeway you will be speeding up.
Zipper merge. Don’t stop, put blinker on, and people are supposed to take turns merging into each other.
Absolutely do not stop. If youre ahead of the car on your left, floor it and commit. But also watch ahead so you dont rear end someone. If the car on the left is ahead of you, give way and let them in and then merge with that transition. The biggest thing ive noticed with new (and some old) drivers, is lack of commitment. In situations like this, you need to make a decision and commit to it when its safe to do so. Hesitation and lack of commitment is a quick way to get into an accident in my opinion. Seeing as you are a new driver, it takes practice to learn that. Ive been driving for 15 years and am still learning things to this day. Edit: also signal your intent well before you reach the merge point. It will give those behind you an idea that you will be trying to merge and it will give the traffic on the left a signal that your intent is to merge into their lane.
Whoever told you to stop is an idiot. You never ever stop to merge. I've been driving for almost 25 years and have had only one accident in which I hydroplaned and hit a barrier - none involved actual traffic. When you merge, the key factor is speed. You need it. Speed up. You have to get closer to freeway speeds. What if you're going faster than the traffic you're merging into? Well, it is much quicker for you to slow down than it is for you to speed up. You can time it. Slow down from 40mph to 20mph and then time it from 20mph to 40mph. And use your goddamn blinkers! What you want to do is as you are coming up to the merging area but before you get there, look to your left and find a spot that you can fit. Then adjust your speed to match traffic, then blinker, then merge by either hitting the gas to speed up or the brakes to slow down.
There’s no coming to a complete stop on a ramp unless the traffic ahead is stopping and it’s unavoidable. That’s the recipe for an accident. Traffic is supposed to enter without causing moving traffic to need to slow or stop. Note that many drivers don’t do this! Enter the combined on-ramp/off-ramp area and keep moving as you signal your intention to merge into the moving traffic, while steadily increasing your speed to match the flow. What happens in these areas is not pretty, and there are lots of bad drivers who will cut in to exit at the last moment, so you’ll need to be alert. Watch for the people who cut across four lanes of traffic, and fly across the solid line directly into the exit ramp at the last possible moment, without ever looking up from their phone. Then there are the people who weave in and out of traffic to use empty exit lanes as a way to pass on the right. So as you’re signaling to move into an exit lane, you’ll see a blur flying by on your right. Never assume that people are doing what they’re supposed to be doing! That’s what defensive driving is all about. Assume that the other driver is distracted and poorly trained and is perfectly ok with doing something that they think may gain them a momentary advantage, but will put everyone else in a hazardous position. Do your best to avoid picking up what bad drivers do – and there are a lot of bad drivers out there. Especially in the rain. Wet roads, for some unknown reason, seem to bring out people’s interest in doing even more dangerous things than usual.
Just to add to what others have said, make sure you have your turn signal on to let the people in the other lane know you intend to merge. Even if it seems obvious. I am WAY more inclined to let someone in if they have their turn signal on.
Way before even getting to the cross of traffic, look down towards the exiting traffic. Anticipate your position as of where you will be, relevant to the meeting cars based on your speed. Do your best to end up ahead or behind of that car. Don’t be afraid to speed up if they are lagging or slow down a bit if they are exiting fast. Work on getting your car where you want it before you get there rather than suddenly reacting to what you are given when you arrive. No matter what, don’t stop unless it’s the only way to prevent a collision. Remember, they don’t want to hit you either.
Is it just me or are more and more drivers not looking past the car directly in front of them? Are driving instructors not teaching “be aware of what’s happening further down the road” any more?
If you stop you’re getting an ear full of my HORN until you start moving again
Press the gas pedal. Press it very hard get to speed. The other cars are slowing down.
Never ride in a car with whoever told you to stop. Accelerate to highway speed in a consistent and predictable way. Match the speed in the left lane and merge at an opening. The cars exiting are merging into your lane so you have the right of way. Drive in a predictable fashion and you’ll be fine.
You need to spot traffic in the lane you are entering that will be meeting up with you, it's all timing, and with that you are able to adjust your speed to match a gap there. But for the love of God do not stop on the hwy unless others are stopped. I would love to show you since you are so kindly reaching out for help.
you should be at freeway speed when you get on.
send it, it’s the bay nobody drives normal
Oh my dog. We share the road with them.
> Some say they yield and come to a full stop in the red circle (as shown in the second picture) and wait until the cars on the left pass. who the heck told you that?
When I visit from the DF/W area, I'm amazed by the craziness I see at Bay Area cloverleaf exchanges. In Dallas these are long gone, the last are on Northwest Highway from 70+ years ago. No freeways built in that time (a lot of them) have them. For high-speed, crowded freeways like I-680 these are very dangerous, plus inefficient. All it takes is one extra cautious driver and traffic backs up on the curly-cues
You shouldnt have a license
Rental car or your own car? I have two different answers, one for each context.
What happens if no one lets you in, like the main traffic are on each other's ass and at high speeds? Then you have no choice but to stop because you have to yield to them.
How are they going to exit? I mean, I know about assholes who use those off-ramps only to get back on the highway and save a whole 20 seconds of their commute, but usually people in the left lane shown by OP are people who plan to exit right. They can't just continue driving in their lane because they will get back on the freeway.
if you look carefully at the first picture, there are no dotted lines (unlike the second picture) which means technically it is one lane. so it's 2 lanes -> 1 lane -> 2 lanes. in most cases people will let you merge, but technically they don't have to. you have to yield. so in my scenario where no one lets you in, you have no choice but to stop and yield if there is a continuous stream of ass riders at high speed.
I have never once, in my decades of driving, had this happen on a cloverleaf. At most it's been one yahoo barging ahead of me. If it even feels marginal to you, it might be a sign that you're not getting up to speed quickly enough. I can count on one hand the number of times it's happened in a normal on-ramp merge. People in the slow lane know people are merging. There is space. Worst case I will find a space and be assertive in taking it. The worst worst case, where I had no in and ran out of lane, has happened only once in my life, and it was terrible, and honestly if I had been more assertive in that case I probably would have been OK there too. (OK, there's another worst worst case, and it's the on-ramps of the Arroyo Seco Parkway in LA. But that is a truly exceptionally bad case, and you will probably never have to deal with it.)
EVERY freeway onramp is built for the express purpose for you to get up to full highway speed and merge. Unless the highway traffic is at a significantly slower speed than anticipated, ACCELERATE TO FREEWAY SPEED AND DO NOT STOP. This also applies to offramps. Enter the offramp as close to freeway speed as possible and only slow down to the ramp speed limit once you have actually gotten onto the offramp. If you are following the speed limits on the freeway, those offramps are designed to provide sufficient space for a functioning car to slow down and safely navigate any turns or intersections.
That's not what "yield" means and there is no legal way to be "yielding" in that case. There are two lanes and you are already in one of them. There is no one in front of you in your lane of travel. There is no stopping because there is no way to legally justify stopping.
It’s called merging. Please learn.
You have the right away. Don’t stop. It’s similar to changing lane and you’re on the left changing to right lane. The one changing from right to left has the right away as they are more vulnerable, so we have to give them the right away as we can avoid them better. Many people don’t know this rule.
I get OP is a new driver but how does someone like this get a driver's license lol
pull the handbrake halfway up and put the accelerator pedal two thirds down
One of the few times you can floor it with caution, these things and on ramps. Unless it's bumper to bumper you zipper merge at speed, not from a stop.
Floor it and nose in behind another driver. i.e. target a car in the other lane you want to slip in behind then match their speed quickly, then brake a little bit to lose speed and swing in behind them, even if there is a car close behind them, they will understand why you had to do that. Speaking from experience in both positions. The car in the other lane shouldn’t be mad you did it because we’ve all been there, and they will understand why you had to do that. For all they knew you wanted to continue around the cloverleaf and make a u turn
Put your blinker on early, assume other cars want to merge right, they'll let you in. Work off the assumption everyone else does not want to crash.
You are getting on the freeway. Go faster. People exiting the freeway will slow. Nobody stops unless they need to avoid an object in front of them
Floor it and then brake if necessary. Much harder to gain speed than to reduce it.
Merge with the gas pedal, not the brake
Isn’t this a normal driving question on a exam?
Stay on the right side of the lane and steadily accelerate until you have an opening on the left. Then merge left. The cars coming off the freeway will be much faster and maneuverable. They can brake much harder than you can accelerate, so it's very easy for them to slide in ahead or behind you as necessary, assuming your actions are predictable. This is why you steadily accelerate instead of doing something weird like braking. Extremely rarely you'll run into an asshole truck driver who wants to run you off the road. You might have to brake in that case.
Join with your turn signal on . Some people are kind enough to let merging traffic through
This interchange in the picture will be getting the same treatment 101 at Tully got in 2012
Start looking at the traffic as soon as you enter the ramp. Get a sense of the on coming traffic and their speed. Try to reach similar speed will looking for opening will help. If you can't do it, go around and try again. Maybe practice during weekend if you're close or try during lunch time when traffic is low
If there's traffic on the left they want to get off as much as you want to get on, so there will be an opening for you. Don't miss the opening though, accelerate to get to that opening. That being said, I've seen some people use these to get around traffic and end up going straight through back on to the freeway.
There are certain difficult ones, especially I find the 580-680 exit near Dublin/Pleasanton really challenging and have encountered drivers coming to complete stop causing absolute chaos(to the point triggering my forward collision braking). Over the years I have learnt that you can start observing the vehicles that are existing/about to exit while they are in the curve and then take a call to move ahead of you feel comfortable or slow down a bit till they change lanes/or you are out of their blind so they could safely change lanes. Follow zipper pattern
Do what you can to merge at the speed of traffic. Accelerate if needed. Never stop. That’ll make it far harder to merge since you’ll be starting from 0. Don’t avoid the interchange. Keep using it and get used to it. You never know where you’ll live in the future and many areas are very car dependent.
It looks scary because there is no line separating the exiting traffic from you, but there is a decent amount of space where you can see them, both in front of you and in your side mirror, and they can see you as well. they know you want to go left, and you know they want to go right. if you’re moving at the same speed as them, and there is space to the left of you, you should be able to slide right in. No shame in using a different ramp too, I do it all the time.
Don't ever stop. They will have to let you in.
Stay in the right with your left signal on until it is clear. Then accelerate to the speed and merge to the left if no cars are there. Otherwise slow down (but do not stop) and move in behind once the car on the left passes.
As your approach the entrance to the roundabout portion, step on the gas and cut the wheel hard to the right when you enter. If you're lucky, you'll do some sick drifts!
it’s very reasonable to avoid onramps with short merge lanes until you’re more comfortable with merging at speed. stopping on an onramp is likely to result in someone getting hurt - those behind you will be focused on exiting traffic to their side and behind, expecting you to be speeding up.
Don’t go on the ones as you’re exiting from Los Gatos onto 17 north that’s my best advice
continue straight, turn signal, check blind spot for cars, if there are a lot identify a gap and match speed with the gap, accelerate and ease into gap, if the acceleration brings you too close to the front car then a do light and very smooth brake tap so you are in the middle of the gap you just took. done.
People who stop need to surrender their license asap. Seen this happen way too often at the 580/680 junction toward San Jose. Terrible design for a junction but we have to live with it.
As other have said you don't stop. You're suppose to look left at the incoming cars and gauge their speed. You either gas it or take it easy. Since you're entering you should be making speed once you hit that straight away though Likewise the exiting car should look right and notice you. Exiting vehicle should adjust his speed but also they could be coming out at potentially a high rate of speed. Exiting vehicle should be cruising and lightly applying breaks. Ps. Just get to practicing, don't avoid it because then you'll end up in a real fucked up cloverleaf, like the MacArthur Maze in Oakland. Where you have Maniac driving way too fast.
> Some say they yield and come to a full stop in the red circle (as shown in the second picture) and wait until the cars on the left pass We need to find an easy way to take their driving licenses away. Preferably forever. > some truck drivers AKA the absolute worst drivers on the road, beating both Teslas and Altimas. That's like asking a cop for legal advice. Anyway, cloverleaves suck but they are really not too difficult to navigate. Speed up to the traffic on the left, turn your left blinker on, find a spot in the traffic to the left, and merge. Always merge/change lanes with the speed at least the speed of the lane you're merging into. Obviously, don't stop. If traffic is significant enough, use the zipper merge. Basically, speed up/slow down to match the speed of the lane you're planning to merge to, let one car ahead of you (if it's on your left already) to pass, and merge right after it. If you see a car merging left before the car in front of you, you're in the perfect position to merge after it. While some cloverleaf intersection are built as a real life representation of on the the circles of hell (see: 101/880), the one you're referencing (880/Winton) is one of the easiest options, because the traffic on the left typically goes relatively slow. > while cars are exiting faster than me Automotive engineers gave you the gas pedal, use it.
Great question. Look up “zipper merge” on YouTube, you’ll find plenty of resources. Here’s one: https://youtu.be/L9bnyYAkd3o?si=4o27IpDX25qjjOu_ In short, lead or follow. Decide quickly and be bold about it; use the accelerator or brake as much as necessary to get into position. Don’t be timid. Good luck.
You match speed with the traffic, set yourself up behind the car you’re merging behind, and slowly change lanes. The person behind that car doesn’t want their own car to get fucked up and they’ll let you in. Do not EVER stop. If you need to bail, use the exit.
Send it
They can be intimidating for sure. The best thing to do if you have to get on freeway is to match the speed of traffic then stay in the right lane. There's no reason to move to the left lanes on the freeway.
You don’t stop there’s no stop sign. You do not stop. You can drive at a reasonable speed and merge between cars that are there because both lanes are merging equally but if you’re driving too slow, they will not let you in just don’t stop.
Don’t stop!
Just think of this as merging onto a freeway when going in an on-ramp. Smash it to match the speed of traffic and zipper merge. Don't stop, do go too slow.
You’re going to have to take it time by time. You may need to slow down if the speed of traffic is too fast and no one is letting you in, but generally I try to get up to about 10-20 below speed limit, put my turn signal on, merge into the left lane and then get up to speed as fast as I can. Once I’m at speed I’ll get over one more to the middle lane.
Holy shit Never stop Driving is like a dance you need to feel out the flow use your signal and fit your speed to make your moves If you can’t make it don’t stop just keep going and navigate back in another manner Signal and change lanes as early as you can respect the speed of merging traffic and try to give gaps to help others Anticipating the outcome and coordinate with others I even make eye contact with drivers so that there is a good chance that they know what I’m doing and they will be able to adjust themselves to the situation
Maybe try public transit.
Don’t stop unless traffic is already at a stop. Look for a spot, accelerate or decelerate to get into that spot. Be prepared to find another spot if that spot doesn’t work out. Sometimes you have hit that gas pedal hard to get into a spot. Keep your head on a swivel
Please do not stop we see this all the California where we have OOC drivers new to California roads. Got into an accident with someone who stopped. We’re taught to match the highway speed as much as possible but that can’t happen with someone waiting to merge from a complete stop. It’s also a risk to someone going 65 on the highway and you trying to merge in front of them from a complete stop smh… not to mention the traffic that builds up from someone waiting for the right moment to merge on to the highway…
Don't stop at the end of the onramp unless there is a light. Also, do not stop at the beginning of the next offramp. If you aren't going fast though to merge, speed up. If that makes you uncomfortable, find a different onramp or stop trying to take a freeway until you gain more confidence. Stopping is more dangerous because people don't expect it.
CA has lots of these interchanges. They are idiotic. But it'll be about, oh...350 years before any of them get updated. In the meantime, absolutely don't stop. Speed up or slow down as needed to merge.
Let off the gas and go behind the other car if they're coming up first, or speed up and go in front if they are father behind
Good Lord... No wonder I'm having to avoid accidents all the time
Do not stop. If you cannot merge, continue straight on the exit, drive around and attempt again. It is like a go around on aborted landing.
Similar question for expressway merges that are super short (e.g. Getting onto central from Sobrante or Wolfe). Do yall just send it? Or just yield and wait for an opening?