Some drivers just don't know how to merge

It's more than just the law - it's common courtesy.

On roads where there are lanes marked, the driver changing lanes must give way to traffic. If there are no markings when the lanes merge it's a case of giving way to the vehicle in front. Picture: Supplied

IT WAS a behaviour we frowned upon when we were kids, and no matter how much older, wiser and more tolerant we become, our feelings and frustration towards it don't change.

I'm talking about pushing in - we experienced it in the school tuckshop line as the last cream doughnut was nabbed right before our eyes and we see it continually on the roads today. It's rude, it's annoying but when behind the wheel of a car, it can have dire consequences.

We've all been there, I know I'm not alone. You know the feeling - you're cruising along, but suddenly, someone powers their way in on the left, leaving you forced to slam on the brakes, brace for the worst and hope for the best.

Sometimes I wonder if it's reckless or if some drivers don't know the rules around how to properly merge.

On roads where there are lanes marked, the driver changing lanes must give way to traffic. If there are no markings when the lanes merge it's a case of giving way to the vehicle in front - and certainly not an opportunity to race another road user to the merge point.

It's more than just the law - it's common courtesy and in this day in age, that goes a long way.

Originally published as Some drivers just don't know how to merge