Maine’s New Trend of Drivers Stopping on On-Ramps is Infuriating

Seven.

That's the number of times I have had to physically stop my car on the on-ramp to I-295 this fall and winter.

Seven times I have had to scream obscenities and lay on the horn to the person in front of me who clearly has no business being on the road, because they ultimately thought it was wise to treat the merge as a stop sign. Seven times. And I bet that number goes up.

I frankly don't understand what is happening on our roads. It's like the collective population has decided to forget that traffic common sense exists. Traffic common sense is in place for a reason. They are designed to make driving as safe as possible.

You know what's not safe? Stopping directly on an on-ramp.

I would love to say I understand what might be going through these drivers' minds, but I seriously have no idea. Maybe they are scared? Maybe they don't understand common decency? Maybe they just aren't thinking? However, these excuses just don't cut it, not when a serious accident can occur.

Now, if you are uncomfortable about how merging works, don't get too discouraged. There are some solutions that I would suggest.

1. Don't Drive Scared – This is common sense. Driving is inherently dangerous. The last thing you want to do is make it even more challenging by not having the confidence behind the wheel.

2. Uber – Have someone drive for you! What a wonderful concept. However, just make sure to give them a low rating if they don't understand merging laws either.

3. Have Me Pick You Up – Give me a shout. I will gladly take you to wherever you are headed. Plus, you can witness the proper technique of merging into highway traffic.

We are all in this together, folks. Let's get to our destination in the most efficient and safest way we can. Learn how to merge onto the highway properly. Though, I'm sure you already have. That's what driver's education was for.