What's the legal way to do this?

[Alpo]

You are driving down the four-lane highway. Traffic is backed up for two blocks away from the intersection. There is, however, a right turn lane. And you get into the right turn lane and bypass all the backup traffic, but when you get up to the intersection you discover that is not the intersection you wanted. You need the next exit.

 

Legally, can you merge back in to the ongoing traffic? Or do you have to get off, because you are in that right turn lane, and then get back on the four-lane highway?

 

I have seen people miss their exit, suddenly realize it and drive across the shoulder to get on the exit. I have seen people get in the exit, and then realize that's not the exit they want and go driving across the shoulder to get back on the road. I believe both of these things are illegal.

 

Frequently you will see signs on the road - RIGHT LANE MUST TURN RIGHT. If such a sinus present, I believe it would be illegal to merge back into the ongoing traffic. But if there is no such sign, could you legally go back onto the highway when you realize you have got into the wrong exit lane?

[Subdeacon Joe]

38 minutes ago, Alpo said:

 

Frequently you will see signs on the road - RIGHT LANE MUST TURN RIGHT. If such a sinus present,

 

If you are into the section with a solid line take the exit.   If you are still in the section with a dashed line go ahead and merge back if it's safe.

 

I'd the exit, find the nearest on ramp for the direction I need to go.

 

OR... just use surface streets to go the half mile or so to whatever street I want.

 

If the sinus is still giving me problems I'll take an antihistamine.

 

 

[Texas Joker]

If its a hiway you should not cut across the gore to return to traffic. Like was said once the line goes solid do not cross.

[Subdeacon Joe]

3 minutes ago, Texas Joker said:

If its a hiway you should not cut across the gore to return to traffic. Like was said once the line goes solid do not cross.

 

Sunday on the way to church, southbound 101 in Santa Rosa, a section with the merge lane from one on ramp becomes the lane for the next off ramp.

A guy got on, I gave him the space to merge on, he stayed in that lane as if to take that next exit...not uncommon...so I passed him once he got to the solid line.   Watched in my mirror as he cut through the gore point just barely missing the sand barrels and got back onto 101.

[Eyesa Horg]

Pretty rare I've had to merge back in,but would do it if the traffic wasn't going to make it an idiot move!

[Pat Riot]

You’re on the exit. Take it. Trying to merge back onto the highway is a jerk move. 

[Eyesa Horg]

6 minutes ago, Pat Riot said:

You’re on the exit. Take it. Trying to merge back onto the highway is a jerk move. 

Are you calling me a jerk?

 I don't cross the triangle or grass. Not sure what a gore is other than what a bull can do you, so may have crossed one. As a road runner most of my career and averaging 400 miles a day at the end of working, I've likely pulled a stunt or 2. Like using the "no u turn" cut thru's on Interstates! Done that many times with Stateys sitting in them running radar. They just waved. Ya gotta do it like you're supposed to!

[Smokin Gator SASS #29736]

Depending on the situation the driver who is the one that messed up should not take an action that inconveniences a bunch of other drivers to try and fix his mistake and make it easier on himself.

[Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770]

17 minutes ago, Eyesa Horg said:

I don't cross the triangle or grass. Not sure what a gore is other than what a bull can do you, so may have crossed one.

The triangle and the grass is the "gore point". 

[Ozark Huckleberry]

If traffic is flowing, getting into the exit lane then merging back in isn't such a big deal. Oops -- my bad, turn signal, right back in.

 

If traffic is backed up, it implies stop-and-go, or at least crawling along. Then it gets hard to tell the difference between someone who made a mistake, and someone who's trying to entitle themselves to jump a bit ahead in traffic.

 

For my part -- if traffic is backed up, and in my mirror I watch someone pull out of the line of traffic, realize they've goofed and try to get right back in -- no problem, I'll even make room. But pull into the exit lane, be-bop to the last possible point, then want back in? Hell no. Take the exit.

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

Usually I’ll just take the off ramp and the corresponding on ramp. I recall one confusing exit fubar where the matching on ramp required executing at least three cloverleafs to get back to where I was going.

 

if traffic is Morse code like rather than busy signal, I have pulled into the gore and stopped with flashers to wait for a clump to go by.

 

 

Edited April 17 by Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984