Question

How close will a car come to me when merging onto a motorway at a certain speed with traffic traveling at 87 km/h?

Answer 1

To determine how close a car will come to you when merging onto a motorway while traveling at a speed slower than the traffic (in this case, 87 km/h), we need a bit more information, including the merging speed of the car, the spacing between vehicles, and the distance you are from the merging point when the car starts to merge.

Here’s a general approach to understanding this situation:

1. **Calculate Relative Speed:** If the merging vehicle is traveling at a speed less than 87 km/h, calculate the difference in speed. For example, if the merging car is going at 60 km/h, the relative speed compared to the traffic would be 87 - 60 = 27 km/h.

2. **Deciding Factors:** The distance between the merging vehicle and your car as it merges can be influenced by:
- The gap between vehicles in the lane on the motorway.
- The behavior of the merging driver (e.g., whether they accelerate, decelerate, or keep a steady speed).
- The distance at which you are from the merge point when the vehicle begins to merge.

3. **Safety Distances:** Typically, safe driving distances from a merging vehicle would include considerations such as:
- The stopping distance of your vehicle.
- The reaction time required to realize that the merging vehicle is encroaching on your lane.

Without specific values (like the merging speed and exact distance), it's difficult to provide a numerical answer. Generally, though, if you are traveling at 87 km/h and you notice a vehicle merging at a lower speed (for example, 60 km/h), you’d want to ensure that you maintain a sufficient following distance or adjust your speed to provide a safe space for the merging vehicle.

If you have more specific details about the merging speed, your distance from the merging point, or the traffic conditions, I could help you with a more precise calculation.