By: Esha Bagora

Media Production Editor

Every day after school, as I sit and wait to get out of the senior lot and go home, I wonder why we seniors can’t drive in a proper and efficient way. Drivers Ed taught all of us not to cut people off, to let people into your lane when there’s traffic, and to avoid tailgating other drivers. Maybe Drivers Ed didn’t mention the ‘zipper merge, but as a school, we desperately need to integrate it so that all of us can leave the senior lot before 3PM. 

The zipper merge is a traffic merging technique where drivers allow one car to enter before them each time a lane ends, merging alternately like the teeth of a zipper coming together. If cars move into lanes too early, it causes traffic and accidental fender-benders. Using the zipper method means that you use both lanes fully until you reach the merge area. Once the driver reaches the end of the drivable road, you then enter the opposite lane. Cars already in the lane take turns allowing cars to enter the lane at that time. This concept was designed to improve traffic flow, reduce congestion, reduce speed differences, and create a more fair sense of movement in both lanes. You’d no longer have to worry about someone speeding up from the back of the senior lot, trying to make it to the stop sign and nearly T-Boning you as you try to merge into that lane. 

The Texas Transportation Institute released a study that found that the “zipper method” reduced congestion at the merging points by 14 minutes and reduced the line of cars by 1,800 feet. Not only does using the zipper merge reduce the time one spends in traffic, it also reduces the hazard of the long line of cars inching out of the senior lot, allowing other cars and buses to enter the senior lot more easily. 

California hasn’t endorsed, researched, or mandated the zipper merge yet, but ten states do. Some states even have mandated the zipper merge through legislation; Arizona, Indiana, Washington, Kansas, Missouri, Minnesota and North Carolina have either laws, fines, or encourage residents to use the zipper method. The inclusion of the zipper method in state laws reflects a recognition by policymakers of its potential to improve traffic flow, reduce congestion, and enhance overall road safety for drivers. These legislative measures are often accompanied by educational initiatives to inform drivers about the zipper method, its advantages, and the legal requirements for compliance. 

From senior to senior, I beg you to try and integrate the zipper merge when you are in the senior lot. Please, let’s put driving like heathens behind us and utilize the tried and tested zipper merge to create a safe and timely-efficient environment for us all. 

(Sources: USA Today, AAA, New York Times)