Changing lanes while driving!!?

Question

I have my permit and will probably take my driver's liscense test in about 3 weeks. However, lately while I'm driving I find whenever I need to change lanes nobody will let me in! It is so frustrating, because eventually I have to and then the car in the other lane honks and gets extremely angry because I cut them off!

Any tips on how to get other drivers to safely let me over??

Answer 1

Drivers these days are incredible rude.  All you can do is signal and push your way in.  Sad but true.

Answer 2

There are a few things you can do to change lanes safely.

MIRRORS

One thing that helps quite a bit when changing lanes is moving your side mirrors so that you reduce the overlap between the rearview mirror and the side mirrors.

Most people adjust their side mirrors to see the side of their own car. This is a redundant use of the side mirrors and creates a large blind spot between the area covered by the side mirrors and your peripheral vision.

Follow the guidelines in the motorists.com guidelines below and you'll reduce the overlap of side mirrors and rearview mirror significantly, allowing you to have a much better picture of the road behind you and to the sides.

You'll need a little adjustment time to train yourself to use your rearview mirror for the majority of the direct-behind view, but this doesn't take long.

Also, for longer vehicles like vans and SUVs, you may need to refine their instructions a bit to get it just right.

This new mirror position doesn't eliminate the need to glance left or right, but it definitely helps.

PLAN AHEAD

Changing lanes can also be made easier if you plan ahead. Watch the road ahead and behind and make note of cars, their speeds, and the gaps. By making yourself aware of your surroundings at all times, your lane changes won't be last-second skin-of-your-teeth manouevers that scare the living daylights out of your passengers and other drivers. :)

USE YOUR SIGNALS

This may sound obvious, but lots of drivers don't realize that the turn indicators are intended to make other drivers aware of your intentions, not your movements. Let them know before you do something so they can make adjustments to avoid an accident. Some drivers are hyper-aggressive ego-maniacs and respond to the turn signal as a threat to their ego. Let these guys pass; their aggro tactics will get them in trouble sooner or later, and you really don't want to be involved.

MAINTAIN/ADJUST SPEED

Finally, make sure that when you do execute the lane change, you maintain/adjust speed accordingly. Lots of people change lanes going slower than the lane they are moving into. This disrupts traffic flow and creates the potential for an accident. Since you've been paying attention to traffic around you, you know how fast you need to be going to merge smoothly. If the difference in speeds is greater than your car's acceleration can handle, consider waiting out another opportunity in your current lane. Going 5mph slower than you'd like to is much preferable to going from 60mph to zero in a split second and dealing with a car accident.

Good luck!

Answer 3

Use your blinker and be calm.

Answer 4

Use your blinker and if the person in the other lane is going slow speed up and get over if they are going fast slow down and wait till they pass .

Answer 5

Don't worry what they think as long as your driving with since they are going to be mean to u. Plus some people will be like that when there's a student driver on the road. They are the dangerous ones cause they are using road rage. Be remember be calm, don't freak out, and use safety you will do fine. Good Luck

Answer 6

This is an EXCELLENT question (continuing...)

You must understand that those people who aren't letting you in and honking are blithering idiots and are violating the rules of the road. If I were in charge, I would make them all subject to arrest and I would make it a misdemeanor. I would revoke their licenses, and if I caught them driving on suspension it would 5 years in jail.

Those people FALSELY believe they have the right of way (to not let you in).  The only thing you can do since it isn't being enforced is to use expert timing and give it the proper throttle at the precise moment.

Around 90 per cent of the people driving today aren't qualified, in my opinion. They play music so loud that they can't even hear emergency vehicles, AND MOST OF THEM EVEN BELIEVE THAT THEY  HAVE THE RIGHT OF WAY OVER EMERGENCY VEHICLES.