How should a driver approach merging onto a highway?

When merging onto a highway, it is crucial for a driver to accelerate to match the speed of the existing traffic and look for a suitable gap. This approach ensures a smooth integration into the flow of vehicles already on the highway. One of the primary goals of merging is to minimize disruptions to both the merging vehicle and the highway traffic.

Accelerating helps in aligning the speed with the vehicles in the right lane, which reduces the risk of an abrupt stop or slow-down that could lead to collisions. Additionally, actively seeking a gap in the traffic allows the driver to merge safely and efficiently, ensuring that they can enter the highway without putting themselves or others at risk.

Decelerating and using signals, while important for overall safety, does not effectively facilitate merging since slowing down can create complications in merging with faster-moving traffic. Merging without checking mirrors is unsafe, as it can lead to collisions due to a lack of awareness of blind spots. Finally, stopping to yield to highway traffic is impractical and dangerous; it can cause confusion and obstruct the flow of traffic, potentially leading to accidents.

Overall, the correct approach focuses on matching speed and identifying gaps to facilitate a seamless and safe merging process onto the highway.