What is the correct way to merge onto a highway?

To merge onto a highway effectively, it is crucial to accelerate to match the speed of highway traffic. This practice ensures that you can integrate safely into the flow of vehicles already on the highway, minimizing disruption and reducing the risk of accidents. Highway traffic typically moves at higher speeds, and driving significantly slower than the prevailing speed can create dangerous situations, requiring others to abruptly adjust their speed or change lanes to avoid a collision.

Matching the speed of oncoming traffic allows for smoother merging, as it allows you to find a suitable gap in the traffic without forcing other drivers to react unexpectedly. It promotes a safer merging process and enhances overall highway safety.

In contrast, slowing down significantly would likely cause confusion and could lead to dangerous situations where other drivers are unprepared to adjust their speed or direction. Stopping at the end of the ramp can be hazardous, as it does not provide a safe way to merge and might lead to rear-end collisions. While signaling and waiting for a gap is a wise maneuver during the merging process, it must be coupled with the appropriate acceleration to ensure that you can merge efficiently and safely.