Alright, story time.
It was a few years ago. I was driving down the interstate with my brother-in-law. There was quite a bit of construction and traffic. So, you know, good times. We’re driving past an on ramp, and I see this guy in my rearview mirror speeding past the cars behind me. I can tell that’s trying to get ahead of me, so he can merge before me in the line of cars.
Well, I’m not having it. I speed up to decrease the room between my car and the car in front of me, making sure he can’t cut me in line.
My brother-in-law turns to me: “What are you doing?!”
“I’m making sure he can’t merge ahead of me,” I explain. “He’s being rude. He’s assuming his time is more valuable than mine.”
“No,” he replies. “He’s not. He’s driving the right way, that saves everyone time in the long run.”
Wouldn’t you know it: he was right. It’s called the “zipper merge” (or sometimes the “late merge”), and it really is the most efficient way to drive. It saves so much traffic time in the long run that the Colorado Department of Transportation even created an entire online video campaign to convince drivers to adopt the style. After the campaign launched, CDOT monitored work zones and found that the line of cars waiting was cut in half.
It all comes down to basic math. The longer you keep two lanes going, the fewer cars have to line up when the two lanes become one. The key is each lane alternating at the point of the merge, like teeth in a zipper.
So, consider this my public apology to the interstate guy who apparently is not a jerk.
MORE WHAS UP:
Want to know "WHAS up" with something? Rob Harris is your guy. He's talking to some of the smartest people in our community to find out more about science, history, urban legends, local quirks, and more.
Have a question or topic you want him to check out? Send him a tweet or a Facebook post.
►Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users.
Have a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.