You are driving on a Texas highway when another vehicle is entering from an on-ramp ahead of you. According to the manual, what should you do?
-
A.
Speed up to clear the merge point before the entering vehicle gets there.
-
B.
Flash your headlights to signal the entering driver to wait for you.
-
C.
Hold your speed and lane, since the entering driver must yield to highway traffic.
-
D.
Adjust your speed so the entering vehicle can merge safely. Correct
The answer is "Adjust your speed so the entering vehicle can merge safely."
The manual tells you to adjust your speed so the entering vehicle can merge safely. That rule sits alongside a separate one requiring the entering driver to yield to highway traffic; both apply at once, and neither cancels the other. Choice C is the trap for drivers who learn only the yield-to-highway rule and treat it as full authority to hold their pace no matter what the merging car does.
The traps in the wrong answers
A. Speed up to clear the merge point before the entering vehicle gets there.
Racing the entering car to the merge point is the opposite of what the manual asks for. Speeding up closes the gap the merging vehicle needs. Treats the merge as a competition to reach the point first, a habit common among drivers who dislike being slotted in behind a merging vehicle.
B. Flash your headlights to signal the entering driver to wait for you.
The manual names a speed adjustment as the response here. Headlight flashes aren't listed in the manual for this situation, and they don't create the space a merging car needs. Applies a communication habit from other driving situations, where drivers signal each other with flashes, in place of the physical space adjustment the merge actually requires.
C. Hold your speed and lane, since the entering driver must yield to highway traffic.
The yield-to-highway rule is a duty on the entering driver, not a full excuse for you. The manual gives highway drivers their own obligation: adjust speed so the merge works. Confuses the entering driver's duty to yield with a blanket exemption from any adjustment on the highway driver's part.
This question tests your knowledge of Lane Changes & Merging in Texas. Source: Texas Driver Manual, "Chapter 9: Some Special Driving Situations, Once You are in the Proper Lane," p.48..
Related Texas questions
- You are entering a Texas highway using an entrance ramp. Who has the right-of-way? →
- According to the manual, when should you use the right lane on a multi-lane Texas highway? →
- On a Texas roadway with more than one lane in your direction, what is the farthest left lane reserved for? →
- On a Texas highway in normal conditions, what minimum following interval does the manual recommend behind the vehicle ahead of you? →
- You are passing another vehicle on a Texas highway. What does the manual tell you to do about that driver's blind spot? →
You just took one Texas question apart. The book does it for the whole test.
The Texas book unlocks a free companion: an adaptive study plan, progress synced across your devices, a denser laminate cheat sheet, and a test-day walkthrough. Verify your copy once, usually in seconds; there's nothing extra to buy.
$18.99 paperback, free companion included.