To drive correctly and save time, it is not enough to just apply the rules learned at the driving school. Titi Aur describes what the zip rule is and how it can be applied by drivers.
The traffic is getting more congested and sometimes it seems that the drivers are getting more and more fierce and don’t want to let others drive by.
However, a common sense rule that could be applied is that of the zipper.
Titi Aur explained, in a clip posted on his YouTube account, what the zipper rule is and how it is applied.
Are you obliged to give way to left-handers?
According to the law, it is not enough to signal left or right to have the right of way. On the contrary, you are obliged to give priority to those already in the lane you want to enter.
Which means, in theory, if a lane gets stuck, all the drivers in that lane will be stuck for hours. Especially if it’s a busy day and the traffic is heavy.
In practice, drivers in the blocked lane force entry into the free lane, effectively forcing the driver with priority to brake. But that also leads to the blocking of the second lane.
Because drivers, instead of entering alternately, try to enter several at once. Thus, those walking in the priority lane are forced to stop to avoid an accident. Then, in turn, they force the pass so they don’t get stuck again.
This is how most traffic jams are formed. Which, however, could be largely avoided if the zipper rule were applied.
What is the zipper rule
The zipper rule involves giving alternate priority when one of the lanes is blocked.
„The zip rule in Romania is an unknown, unknown rule, not taught in driving school, but only in defensive driving courses. In other countries, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Belgium, it is already part of the traffic rules. In such situations, that legal priority is canceled and cars pass one from the left, one from the right“, Titi Aur explains the zipper rule.
For example, if lane 1 is blocked and you can only drive on lane 2, theoretically, only drivers on lane 2 have priority.
In this case, if the zipper rule applies, each driver in lane 2 who reaches the point where the blockage has formed will allow one driver in lane 1 to enter in front of him.
Thus, both columns of cars will move simultaneously.
„That means we have a fluency and we have a predictability. It means I know when it’s my turn. One passed from the other lane, now it’s my turn, from my lane, and the next one will be from the other lane. In the end it’s a rule of common sense“, explained the multiple rally champion and expert in defensive driving.
The zipper rule is enforced by law in countries such as England, France or Sweden. This is designed to reduce traffic jams and avoid road blockages.
It can also be applied in intersections, where drivers on a priority road can allow those on the secondary road to pass.
VIDEO
Source: www.promotor.ro
