Examkin

Question

Difficulty: MediumSpace to the Sides

You are driving a commercial vehicle in the right lane of a four-lane divided highway and notice several vehicles accelerating down an upcoming entrance ramp to merge. Which driving action best maintains an adequate lateral space cushion as you approach the merge point?

  1. A
    Accelerate aggressively past the ramp taper to close the gap ahead and force merging traffic to enter behind you.
  2. B
    Crowd the right lane marker to establish lane ownership and encourage merging traffic to yield on the ramp shoulder.
  3. Check mirrors, signal, and change lanes to the left if traffic permits, or adjust your speed to open a gap for merging vehicles.Answer
  4. D
    Apply firm service brakes to come to a complete stop in the travel lane until the ramp traffic clears.

Answer

Check mirrors, signal, and change lanes to the left if traffic permits, or adjust your speed to open a gap for merging vehicles.
Safely moving to an interior lane when clear, or adjusting speed to create entry gaps, provides the necessary lateral space cushion to prevent side collisions and entrapment with vehicles entering from highway access ramps.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the potential lateral hazard from entering vehicles at the upcoming interchange.
Recognize that merging traffic creates side-by-side crowding and potential lateral entrapment in the right travel lane.
Commercial vehicles require a lateral space cushion to account for sudden maneuvers or blind-spot incursions by entering drivers.
2
Select the appropriate defensive driving positioning strategy.
Determine that moving one lane left (if clear) or adjusting cruising speed opens a buffer zone for merging vehicles.
This proactive adjustment preserves lateral space and prevents side conflicts without endangering following or adjacent traffic.

Key Concept

Managing Lateral Clearance at Entrance Ramps
Estimated Time:1m 0s
Rate this question

Topics

Space to the Sides

More questions from this topic