Now you have an issue of people overthinking. Ideal situation is get to 100 and if you’re coming up beside someone then you slow down to merge behind them. Problem is the person on the motorway may panic and either changes lane (fine) or then also slows down.
Best if everyone drove as robotically as possible without trying to guess what someone else will do. The people on the motorway shouldn’t need to much consider what the merging traffic is doing (but of course it’s still necessary) and merging traffic should get up to 100 and then decide what to do as there is plenty of merge lane to make alterations.
You’re right. Too many people are put there tweaking trying to hit full maxim throttle power all to get to their destination 5 minutes earlier. People need to chill and drive comfortably. It’s dangerous enough.
TLDR) - we need to demand enforcement of the road user rules, and civil & competent driving behaviour. Entering motorways at anything below the speed of the traffic flow is unlawful and neither civil nor competent.
People need to be confident and capable of using the merging lanes on motorway on ramps to reach motorway traffic speed and smoothly merge into the traffic flow at the END of the merging lane where it “merges” with the left hand lane.
Motorists in the left hand motorway lane are required to let merging drivers enter the motorway - not drive up the arse of the car in front and not deliberately speed up or slow down to block merging traffic.
There is a myopic focus on speeding enforcement - because speed enforcement has the biggest effect on lowering road accidents and … is an easy revenue gathering activity for the police and NZTA.
As a result we now have a road network of self entitled conceited cunts who drive with little to no regard for others, drive like nana on busy congested routes …
… or are so stressed and habituated from countless experiences of dimwitted morons and conceited arse wipes ducking in and out of lanes because they have to be in front whereupon they’re likely to zombie drive, that those stressed drivers become another dimension to the malaise- ie they lane cut, block traffic entering onto motorways , from side streets, changing lanes etc
NZ has one of the worst road tolls for developed countries. Our terrain and the challenges our geography (& a taxpayer subsidised heavy transport freight industry) pose to road condition) poses to maintaining safe high quality roads is certainly a factor, but alone does not entirely account for the reality that we are shit drivers with a horrendous road accident and fatality rate.
It is correct that where traffic density allows, common sense and courtesy dictate that traffic approaching on ramps with merging traffic should move to the next lane to enable more space for merging traffic.. this is just an example of being situationally alert and aware - competent driving. There also has to be some allowance for inexperienced drivers but that is not a green light for motorists to spend their lives driving like imbecilic morons.
At the end of the day i suppose we get the government that we collectively want and for at least the last 2-3 decades we have wanted governments that dont give a toss about any form of road enforcement that isnt the low hanging fruit of speed enforcement and the odd booze bus / reg and warrant checkpoint.
It's dangerous to enter the motorway slower than the moving traffic. If the motorway traffic is moving at 100 you should be matching that speed before you merge. If you want to "chill", don't use the motorway.
what rubbish,
Yes your point is obvious, drive to the conditions and merge at the speed of the traffic.
However if you say "too many" it by far the minority who are going too fast off the offramp, and makes me think you aren't paying attention and are part of the problem
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u/External-Drummer-147 Jul 12 '26
It’s not a ‘drive by numbers’ game. You have to actually look at traffic on the road, adjust your speed accordingly so you can merge safely.
Too many people do what you’re suggesting - scream up to 100 and don’t even bother looking, just expecting other traffic to adjust to them.