A MERGE sign appears on an expressway just before an on-ramp. What does the manual say about the expressway driver's role?
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A.
Slow down to let the driver on the ramp merge. Correct
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B.
Come to a full stop and wait for the ramp driver to complete the merge.
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C.
Maintain speed because the ramp driver must yield.
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D.
Speed up to clear the merge zone before the ramp car arrives.
The answer is "Slow down to let the driver on the ramp merge."
At a MERGE sign posted before an expressway ramp, the manual gives the expressway driver a specific instruction: slow down to let the ramp driver merge. Choice C leans on the general 'entering traffic yields' habit, which is why drivers who haven't learned this specific sign miss the expressway driver's role here.
The traps in the wrong answers
B. Come to a full stop and wait for the ramp driver to complete the merge.
The manual says slow down, not stop; a full stop in an expressway travel lane creates its own hazard. This answer reads 'slow down to let the driver merge' as full-yield behavior instead of opening a gap while continuing forward.
C. Maintain speed because the ramp driver must yield.
At this specific sign, the manual tells the expressway driver to slow down rather than hold speed. This answer applies the general 'entering traffic yields' rule that governs most on-ramp merges without this sign posted.
D. Speed up to clear the merge zone before the ramp car arrives.
The manual asks the expressway driver to slow to open a gap, not speed up to close one. This answer reads the merge as a race for the gap, a habit picked up on crowded on-ramps.
This question tests your knowledge of Lane Changes & Merging in Illinois. Source: Illinois Rules of the Road, "Merging Lanes," p.72..
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