No. 08 · 9 Oct 2026 · 0:38
Why You Should Merge at the Last Second
When a lane is closed ahead, most drivers move over at the first sign.
From the video's description
When a lane is closed ahead, most drivers move over at the first sign. One lane fills up, the other stays empty, and the queue grows. In slow traffic, the better way is to use both lanes up to the closure and then take turns, one car from each lane: the zipper merge. Minnesota's Department of Transportation says it can cut the length of the queue by as much as 40 percent. In Germany (StVO § 7 (4)) and Norway (Trafikkreglene § 8) it is the law.
In Germany the rule applies whenever a lane ends, not only in a jam (ADAC). In the US, Minnesota's DOT says that when traffic is moving at highway speed with no backup, it makes sense to move over sooner.
the traffic in this video is a computer simulation (car-following model), not filmed traffic.
Sources: Minnesota DOT, "Zipper merge"; StVO § 7 (4), § 7 (5) and Anlage 3; ADAC, "Reißverschlussverfahren"; UK Highway Code rule 134; Norway, Trafikkreglene § 8 nr. 1 (lovdata.no).
Credits
• 3D car models (CC BY 4.0, Sketchfab): "2016 Volkswagen Polo" and "Ford Focus Sedan" by BHP3D; "Volkswagen Golf 8. GTI (A8)" by GT Cars: Hyperspeed
• Truck (CC BY 4.0, Sketchfab): "James Scania R440" by zairiq-123
• Trees (CC BY 4.0, Sketchfab): "Mighty Oak Trees" and "High Detail Elm Tree Collection" by Jagobo; "Five Birch trees pack (lowpoly, LODs)" by lolipop_1707
• Concrete barrier (CC BY 4.0, Sketchfab): "Concrete Road Barrier" by HardWireStudio
• Plants and textures: Poly Haven (CC0)
• Road signs: official German StVO designs, Wikimedia Commons (public domain)
• Sound effects: kyles and JPBILLINGSLEYJR on Freesound (CC0); other sounds and music original
