What should you do when merging onto a highway?

When merging onto a highway, it is crucial to accelerate to match the speed of the vehicles already traveling on the highway. This helps ensure a smooth transition and prevents accidents that might occur due to significant speed differentials between merging vehicles and those on the highway. By aligning your speed with highway traffic, you demonstrate your readiness to enter the flow of traffic, which increases safety for both you and other drivers.

Moreover, careful merging requires you to check for gaps in traffic, allowing for safe entry without forcing other drivers to slow down or change lanes. Merging without checking traffic could lead to collisions, while stopping at the end of the ramp could create dangerous situations with vehicles approaching from behind. Yielding to drivers already on the highway is sometimes necessary, but it should be done while accelerating and preparing to merge rather than causing a halt in traffic flow.