Another pet peeve I have concerns merging to one lane when a lane of traffic is closed ahead. Many drivers slow down and merge properly. Some people take advantage of the open lane and zoom ahead so they can cut in line at the very last moment. This slows the line down tremendously for those who “do the right thing” and merge early.
It seems that rude people get through quickly and leave the nice people waiting even longer in line. Although tempting, I don’t pull out and pass everyone and cut in when the traffic barrels force me to. It’s a matter of sacrifice for the greater good. If everyone merged at the earliest opportunity, the line would move slowly, but steadily through the bottleneck. When people cut in, it causes people in line to stop and that delay ripples backward. The more who cut in, the longer the accumulated delay for everyone.
Granted sometimes traffic backs up so far that drivers aren’t sure which lane is open ahead. Sometimes you get caught looking for a place to merge and you find yourself going down the open lane. The trick is to merge before the last moment, since at that time people must stop to let you in.