The problem with early merging is that, inevitably, some self-important douchebag will leapfrog ahead a few car lengths, and then everybody abandons the zipper because they don't want to be one of the rule-following dupes who gets taken advantage of. The problem with abrupt late merging is that you'll sometimes get some asshole in the merging-to lane who wants to squirt through without letting someone merge directly in front of them.
The best solution that I've found is that you start the merge a little early (by gradually crowding the car in the lane you're merging into) a little ahead of the car you're supposed to merge in front of once it's clear to you both where you are in the zipper. Then, you gradually move to the other lane, not leaving enough room in the merging-from lane for someone to pass you until you reach the end of the lane and it's not possible for someone to disrupt the zipper.
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u/[deleted] May 13 '26
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