A bill that clarifies how Utah drivers are supposed to merge after a lane ends received unanimous support in committee Wednesday.
HB76, sponsored by Rep. Brady Brammer, R-Pleasant Grove, stipulates that drivers use the “zipper method” when merging in traffic. Following this procedure, drivers fill both lanes to the point where one ends, then take turns moving into the single lane, alternating between left and right cars — like how a zipper threads its way up a jacket.
The methodology is endorsed by the American Automobile Association, increases traffic speed by up to 40%, and has already been adopted by numerous other states, according to Brammer.
“The strange thing is, we have tweets from UDOT dating back to 2014, saying, ‘Use the zipper method,’ telling people to use this already,” he said. “But it is not really the method in our code.”
Utah’s current policy on merging is a “little vague,” the bill’s sponsor told the House Transportation Committee on Wednesday, and leaves drivers confused, susceptible to road rage and prone to three disparate courses of action on congested roadways, said Brammer.
“You’ve got the early merger, who moves over immediately,” he said. “And then there’s someone who speeds to the end of the lane as fast as they can, and then there’s usually some guy in a big pickup truck that decides to defend the vehicular virtue of all other drivers by going in between both lanes and sitting there to make sure that nobody else speeds up to the end.”
While eliciting a few laughs, the comment highlighted how little direction Utah drivers have in these situations. As currently written, the official rule, Brammer said, is that drivers in the ending lane must yield to those in the continuing lane, in all contexts. But that is rarely how merging actually plays out on the road.
While praising the zipper method for being “logical” and “efficient,” several committee members voiced concerns about the bill, particularly regarding its enforcement. Under the new code, violations would be a traffic infraction.
“How would you determine this person has violated [the zipper method]?” said Rep. Jeffrey Stenquist, R-Draper. “And who would get a ticket potentially, even if there was an effort to enforce this?”
Brammer acknowledged that enforcement would be difficult and said that punishment for such traffic violations is typically reserved for crashes. For specifics, he deferred to troopers from Utah Highway Patrol.
While the zipper method is largely praised by experts, it remains a controversial subject among drivers, who consider the action rude and akin to cutting in line.
Nonetheless, the bill passed the committee with a favorable recommendation, receiving 10 affirming votes, with two representatives absent.
“This is a fairly simple change,” Brammer said, “but I think it will make some difference, especially where we have so much road construction in the state and so much population growth.”
The bill will now head to the House for acceptance of the committee’s report.