Road Rage #1 - Deceleration Lane

Pictured to the left is an illustration of a typical road with a deceleration lane.

The process of decelerating off a road seems to be quite challenging for many drivers. In many situations, people use deceleration lanes in a manner that results in precarious traffic situations for the drivers around them - braking early, no turn signal, stopping on the road, etc.





How to Use the Deceleration Lane (My ABC Technique):
- please refer to the illustration below for reference points -

A - You are driving and want to exit in 100 feet. Turn on your right turn signal, but keep driving (let off gas slightly if necessary).

DO NOT HIT THE BRAKES

B - You have started exiting onto the deceleration lane. Resist the urge to hit the brakes or the accelerator. Keep the right turn signal on.

C - You are now completely in the deceleration lane. You may start hitting the brakes and decelerate down to an acceptable speed for the exit/ramp.

Note - I understand that this process is not valid for all situations, but most of the time, you should be using my simple ABC technique if you want to be a safe driver that prevents (not creates) accidents.

There are a multitude of details and scenarios that could be presented when discussing deceleration lanes, but I felt the need to keep this fairly simple by focusing on the braking and turn signal aspects. It's comical to me that posts like this are necessary, but hopefully even the good drivers out there can take note from this illustration and see where other drivers are endangering their lives by not using the deceleration lane properly.

- Obeying the rules of the road and using deceleration lanes correctly is one way to reduce accidents, but the use of defensive driving techniques by all drivers would make the roads exponentially safer for drivers and passengers alike. -