FRIEND
FRIEND AND EXPERT WITH A WASHINGTON STATE PATROL TO GET
US ALL ON THE SAME MERGING
PAGE.
PAGE.
PAGE. TROOPER BATISTE IS BACK!
WHAT ARE WE WORKING ON TODAY?
>> ZIPPER MERGING PROPERLY.
>> AND YOU'RE STILL COOL WITH
ME DRIVING?
ME DRIVING? >> I AM.
>> I AM.
>> I AM. >> HERE WE
>>
>> WE
>> WE HAVE MERGING, NOT SUPER MERGING.
MERGING.
MERGING. AND US GETTING DOWN HERE ONTO
THEIR FREEWAY WILL NOT BE
CONSIDERED ZIPPER MERGING
EITHER.
EITHER.
EITHER. I
EITHER. I WILL SHOW YOU.
>> Reporter: LESSON NUMBER ONE,
NOT ALL MERGING IS THE SAME
KIND OF MERGING.
>> THERE'S DIFFERENT SIGNAGE
WHEN YOU GO THROUGH ZIPPER
MERGE VERSUS REGULAR MERGE.
>> Reporter: I THOUGHT WE WERE
ALWAYS SUPPOSED TO ZIPPER
MERGE.
MERGE.
MERGE. >>
MERGE. >> NO.
>> NO.
>> NO. >>
>> NO. >> Reporter: SERIOUSLY?
THIS IS NOT A ZIPPER MERGE.
LESSON TWO IS AN EASY WAY TO
REMEMBER WHICH LANE HAS THE
RIGHT-OF-WAY.
RIGHT-OF-WAY. >> THAT THIN LEG ON THE ARROW
SIGN IS NOTATED, THAT LANE IS
ADJOINING HOURS.
ADJOINING HOURS. IT IS THEIR JOB TO MAKE SURE IT
IS SAFE TO MERGE.
>> Reporter: OH, THE THICK LINE
IS THE BOSS.
>> YES, ESSENTIALLY.
>> Reporter: LESSON THREE,
ZIPPER MERGING IS MOVING INTO A
REDUCED NUMBER OF LANES LIKE A
ZIPPER.
ZIPPER.
ZIPPER. >> THIS IS A YELLOW SIGN WE ARE
LOOKING FOR, YOU CAN SEE IT HAS
MAKING THE TEETH OF THE ZIPPER.
YOU JUST DID IT CORRECTLY.
YOU CAME ALL THE WAY DOWN TO
WHERE THAT LANE ENDS, AND
REJOINED TRAFFIC.
REJOINED TRAFFIC. >> Reporter: WHO IS RIGHT?
THE FOLKS WHO WAIT UNTIL THE
VERY LAST MINUTE OF A LIEN
ENDING TO GET OVER SUDDENLY?
OR THE FOLKS THAT KINDLY SLOW
DOWN TO LET OTHERS OVER EARLY?
IF YOU ARE LIKE ME, YOU MAY NOT
LIKE THE ANSWER WHICH IS LESS
THAN FOUR.
THAN FOUR. DON'T ZIPPER OVER UNTIL THE
LANE ENDS.
LANE ENDS. >> HERE IS OUR SIGN AGAIN.
>> Reporter: I SHOULD NOT MOVE
OVER RIGHT NOW?
>> RIDE IT ALL THE WAY TO THE
END.
END.
END. THERE'S ANOTHER SIGN APPEAR,
AND YOU HAVE ROADWAY MARKINGS
RIGHT HERE AND THEN WE ARE
GOING TO JOIN THE LANE.
>> Reporter: HEY! WHAT?
>> SO, YOU HAVE TO PICK OR
CHOOSE, EITHER ACCELERATE OR
SLOW DOWN.
SLOW DOWN. >> Reporter: WHOSE FAULT WAS
THAT?
THAT?
THAT? >>
THAT? >> I WOULD SAY GET IN FRONT OF
THEM.
THEM.
THEM. THERE IS A YELLOW SIGN
INDICATING, THEY ARE DOING IT
PROPERLY, IT SHOULD GO IN FRONT
OF THE KIA, WE GO BEHIND THE
KIA.
KIA.
KIA. BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM! THAT IS BEAUTIFUL.
>> Reporter: WE DID IT!
PERMISSION TO HIGH-FIVE!
>> YES.
>> YES.
>> YES. >> Reporter: FOLLOWED BY ONE
REALLY UGLY EXAMPLE.
EXCUSE YOU.
EXCUSE YOU. >> NO, THEY WERE ALREADY THERE.
>> Reporter: OH.
MY BAD.
MY BAD.
MY BAD. SORRY.
SORRY.
SORRY. SORRY.
SORRY.
SORRY. I
SORRY. I WAS ALSO IN THE WRONG WHEN I
TRIED TO BE EXTRA POLITE TO
OFFSET MY SIMMERING RAGE.
HA HA, GO AHEAD, SIR.
SORRY.
SORRY.
SORRY. >>
SORRY. >> HE WILL TAKE IT ALL THE WAY.
>> Reporter: HE IS DOING WRONG
BY TRYING TO CUT AND ALL THE
WAY BACK THERE.
>> YOU SHOULD USE THIS LANE ALL
THE WAY TO THE END.
>> Reporter: IF YOU TRY TOO
HARD TO BE NICE, LESSON 5,
TROOPER BATISTE SAID THE
SAFEST THING TO DO IN ALL
MERGING AND LANE CHANGING
SITUATIONS, TRY TO MAKE AS
LITTLE IMPACT ON TRAFFIC AS
POSSIBLE.
POSSIBLE.
POSSIBLE. >> I DON'T WANT OTHER DRIVERS
TO HAVE TO SLAM ON THEIR BRAKES,
I JUST WANTED TO BE, IF YOU SEE
THE WHOLE UP AHEAD, THERE'S
NOTHING WRONG WITH SAFELY
SPEEDING UP TO MAKE SURE YOU
GET UNIFORM, I'M NOT TALKING
ABOUT AGGRESSIVE OR RECKLESS
DRIVING, JUST DOING SO THE
PERSON EITHER IN FRONT OF YOU
OR BEHIND YOU DOES NOT HAVE TO
SLAM ON THEIR BRAKES OR IS NOT
IMPACTED.
IMPACTED.
IMPACTED. >> Reporter: I HAVE LEARNED
SOMETHING TODAY.
SOMETHING TODAY. >> GOOD.
>> GOOD.
>> GOOD. >> Reporter: I FEEL LIKE
EVERYBODY SHOULD KNOW THIS.
NO WONDER EVERYONE GETS MAD AT
EACH OTHER, EVERY THIRD PERSON
THINKS ZIPPER MERGING IS
SOMETHING DIFFERENT.
SOMETHING DIFFERENT. >> YES, YES.
WHICH IS WHY IT IS REALLY
IMPORTANT WE DO THE EDUCATION
RIGHT NOW.
RIGHT NOW. >> ZIPPER MERGING IS SUCH A
SOURCE OF CONFUSION.
WASHINGTON STATE LAWMAKERS
INTRODUCE A BILL FOR ZIPPER
MERGING TO BE A BIGGER PART OF
DRIVERS EDUCATION, CALLED HOUSE
BILL 1614, CURRENTLY IN
COMMITTEE.
COMMITTEE. COMING UP AT 5 PM, WE ANSWER
PRESSING TRAFFIC QUESTION FROM
TROOPER BATISTE FROM SPEEDING
TO A DIFFERENT KIND OF LANE
CHANGE THEY CALL MUTUAL COMBAT.
>> OH MY GOSH.
>> YOU CAN TAKE YOUR VIDEO AND
PLAY IT AT ALL THE DRIVING
SCHOOLS AROUND THE NATION.
>> I'M TELLING YOU, MY HANDS
ARE CLAMMY WATCHING ALL THAT
MERGING.
MERGING.
MERGING. >> BE POLITE THOUGH.
>>> LET'S SAY YOU ARE IN A
ZIPPER LANE, THERE'S BUMPER-TO-
BUMPER TRAFFIC, AND THE LANE
GOES ALL THE WAY TO THE END, NO
ONE IN IT, YOU KNOW YOU HAVE TO
GET INTO TRAFFIC, IS IT WRONG
TO CUT THEM OFF AND GO TO THE
FRONT?
FRONT?
FRONT? >>
FRONT? >> NO, IT'S NOT WRONG.
YOU SHOULDN'T DO THAT THING
WHERE YOU SPEED UP WHILE DOING
IT, WAVE AT EVERYBODY AND SLAM
YOUR WEIGH IN, THAT IS NOT
CORRECT.
CORRECT.
CORRECT. BUT IF EVERYBODY WAITED UNTIL