The zipper method, in which drivers merge late, is based on the idea of a zipper’s “teeth.” Just as a zipper smoothly comes together, a zipper merge can keep traffic flowing in both lanes by bringing some organization to the merging process, AAA says.
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“The zipper merge has shown to keep traffic moving more smoothly, compared to a less structured approach,” Van Tassel said.
A zipper merge is recommended because leaving a lane unoccupied as a result of early merging is inefficient. It only makes traffic heavier, proponents say.
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