What is the zipper merge?
Proper technique
Wrapping up
What is the zipper merge?
The “zipper merge” is a driving technique that is used when you are entering a highway or road without a traffic light or set of stop signs that has slow moving or bumper to bumper traffic. This technique alleviates further congestion and general slowdowns considerably. Much like its name intends, the zipper method is meant to be thought of as a zipper, which each piece from each side alternating all the way up eventually forming a completed zipper.
The zipper merge is not to be confused with another merging technique known as the “early merge.” The early merge is when people see cars from an on-ramp merging ahead of them and try to move an additional lane to the left in order to avoid having to deal with being a part of the zipper technique up ahead. The early merge also occurs when there is a lane closure up ahead and instead of using the zipper technique, drivers choose to try and early merge into a lane next to them that will not be closed ahead.
To be clear, the early merge is never an effective technique in terms of alleviating traffic congestion. In most cases it actually makes the congestion worse because most of the line of traffic ends up stopping at nearly the same time in order to let one or more of the early mergers in ahead of them. Even on an induvial basis, you are not saving any time yourself. Overall benefits of effective use of the zipper technique include less overall traffic congestion, traffic backups possibly being reduced by almost half, it keeps both lanes moving forward at about the same overall pace and both the lane being merged into and the lane being merged from end moving at much closer speeds which fosters much safer merging.
Proper technique
The way that the zipper merge works is that one car on the road being merged onto will allow one vehicle margining onto that road to merge in front of them and then continue forward. This will continue until traffic becomes much less congested on that road. The issue with the zipper merge is that some people will not abide by it which causes issues for almost everyone on that road.
Not abiding by the zipper technique can mean either a car already on that road refuses to let even one car merge or if multiple cars attempt to merge in front of one car at once. When this lack of cooperation occurs, it can completely diminish the effectiveness of the zipper method which will maximize delays in traffic for everyone on that road.
Wrapping up
The zipper merge is an extremely useful driving method used in communal fashion to lessen delays during heavy traffic congestion. So long as everyone does their part and abides by the method of the technique, it is quite effective. However, that is unfortunately often not the case. Aggressive drivers have been known not to let even one other driver in and, conversely, aggressive drivers have been known to attempt to merge directly behind another car that has just merged which ruins the concept of the “zipper.”
