How many times have you encountered this scenario?: You're driving in a merge lane, accelerating your vehicle to match traffic on the highway, then all of a sudden the vehicle in front of you comes to a complete stop, or is driving too slow to merge safely.

Expressways, interstates and other multi-lane, limited access highways are built with merge lanes that are designed to provide room for most vehicles to speed up to highway speeds so drivers can merge smoothly with moving traffic. Unfortunately too many drivers do not grasp this concept. Exiting the highway seems to cause just as much confusion for some drivers. You've no doubt encountered drivers who, as they near their exit, throw on their brakes and slow down while in the lane of traffic and before they reach the deceleration lane.

Again, those roadways are designed with exit ramps specifically to provide room for a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed to safely move out of the line of traffic and then slow down. Failing to use merge lanes and exit ramps properly not only disrupts traffic but also contributes to numerous accidents.

"Safe travel on a freeway is all about flow, and anything that disrupts the flow of traffic can cause an accident," said Mark Cole, managing member for USRider, the national provider of roadside emergency assistance for equestrians. "While driving too fast is a problem, driving too slow can be as well," he added