Two lanes reduce to one ahead of you, and traffic is light with no congestion. What does the manual advise?
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A.
Stop just before the merge and wait for the other lane to clear.
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B.
Stay in your lane to the merge point and alternate turns with the other lane.
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C.
Merge into the open lane as early as possible. Correct
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D.
Speed up to pass the vehicle beside you before the merge point.
The answer is "Merge into the open lane as early as possible."
The manual splits the merge advice by traffic conditions: when the road is not congested, merge early into the open lane. B is the zipper merge, which the manual reserves for heavy congestion; drivers who know only that one merge rule apply it in every condition.
The traps in the wrong answers
A. Stop just before the merge and wait for the other lane to clear.
The manual asks drivers to merge into the open lane, not to stop and wait. This answer treats a lane drop like a stop sign and halts rather than merging.
B. Stay in your lane to the merge point and alternate turns with the other lane.
The zipper approach belongs to heavy congestion; the manual routes light traffic to an early merge. Carries the zipper merge over from traffic-safety campaigns that push it as the smarter choice in every lane drop.
D. Speed up to pass the vehicle beside you before the merge point.
The manual advises early merging, not a race to the merge point. This answer reads the closing lane as a competition for position, a driving habit the manual does not endorse.
This question tests your knowledge of Lane Changes & Merging in Illinois. Source: Illinois Rules of the Road, "Reduction in Lanes," p.71..
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