New car drivers 'are within their rights to zip merge'
Posted by Louise Clark
Motorists who find the method of zip merging annoying are being advised it is "perfectly acceptable" and a good way of using space.
New car owners looking to avoid queues by travelling down the outside lane and then merging into the queue further down are actually helping to reduce queue lengths and prevent tailbacks, the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) has suggested.
According to IAM chief examiner Peter Rodger, while some motorists class the measure as rude, "it is perfectly acceptable for vehicles from each lane to take it in turns to merge into the single lane" if lanes are in use right up to the bottleneck.
The motoring body has advised drivers faced with such situations to remain in their lane even if it is empty but to reduce their speed, joining the queue further down the lane and making the most of the space available to them.
Earlier this year the IAM suggested the new government should make driver behaviour a top road safety priority.