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© Copyright 1999, Jim Loy
There are plenty of traps on the Interstate. Most of
them are set by your fellow drivers (rarely intentionally?). Some are caused by
animals or flying objects. Some of us imagine that the next bridge or power
line will collapse just before we get there. But, there is one trap that seems
to be an integral part of the Interstate highway itself, at least when there
are three or more lanes (going in one direction). See the diagram on the left.
This trap is sprung when two vehicles, side by side with an empty lane between them, both change lanes to be in the formerly empty lane. You often cannot see that the other driver is signaling. This has got to happen all the time. It happened to me once, and I quickly went back into my original lane, when I saw that I was in danger.
Another very dangerous situation happens at rush hour in most cities. This is when one lane is very slow, while another lane is very fast. Someone is going to change lanes, into the fast lane, every once in a while. This is not really a trap like the one above, because the driver knew that he/she might be punished.