You have entered the speed change lane from a Texas on-ramp. According to the manual, what should you do next?
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A.
Stop at the end of the ramp until a large gap opens in the through lane.
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B.
Signal right, ride the shoulder, and match the slowest lane's speed.
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C.
Stay right, signal left, and when clear speed up to merge with traffic. Correct
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D.
Hold ramp speed until you cross the lane line, then accelerate.
The answer is "Stay right, signal left, and when clear speed up to merge with traffic."
The manual's on-ramp sequence is set: enter the speed change lane, stay to the right, signal left, and once it is clear speed up to match highway traffic. The 'stop at the end of the ramp' answer feels safer, but it comes from carrying the stop-sign habit into an acceleration lane that was built for the opposite job: bringing you up to the through-lane speed before you merge.
The traps in the wrong answers
A. Stop at the end of the ramp until a large gap opens in the through lane.
Stopping at the end of an acceleration lane leaves you merging into highway traffic from a dead stop. This answer applies a driveway stop-sign habit to a lane the state built for the opposite purpose.
B. Signal right, ride the shoulder, and match the slowest lane's speed.
The shoulder is reserved for breakdowns and other emergencies, not for on-ramp merges. This answer comes from a driver who treats the shoulder as an extra travel lane rather than the emergency space the manual defines.
D. Hold ramp speed until you cross the lane line, then accelerate.
Ramp speed is usually well below highway speed, so crossing in at that pace forces through-traffic to brake for you. This answer comes from nervousness about hard acceleration and treats the posted ramp advisory as the merge target.
This question tests your knowledge of Lane Changes & Merging in Texas. Source: Texas Driver Manual, "Entering the Highway," p.47..
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