Who must you yield to when merging onto a freeway?

When merging onto a freeway, the most critical responsibility is to yield to the vehicles already on the freeway. This rule is fundamental for maintaining traffic flow and safety. Vehicles on the freeway are traveling at higher speeds, and merging traffic must match those speeds while ensuring a safe entry. Yielding allows the driver to assess the speed of oncoming traffic and find an appropriate gap to merge without causing disruptions.

Merging requires careful observation of the freeway's traffic patterns. By yielding to vehicles already in the lane you wish to enter, you minimize the risk of collisions and help ensure a smoother transition for yourself and other drivers. Allowing these vehicles to maintain their speed helps to preserve the overall efficiency and safety of the freeway system.

While yielding to pedestrians and cyclists is vital in different driving situations, during freeway merges, the priority is on the vehicles already in the higher-speed traffic lanes. Hence, yielding to those vehicles is essential for safe merging onto a freeway.