Ask Marilyn

Say you’re driving on a highway with two lanes going in the same direction. A sign advises motorists of a lane closure ahead. When should cars move into the lane that will remain open? —Elaine Willette, Shelby Township, Mich. Drivers should remain in their lanes until the point at which they must merge. Then they should take turns as they arrive, consolidating the two lines of cars into a single line. This takes advantage of both lanes until the place where the closure occurs and avoids spontaneous lane-changing and brake-tapping slowdowns ahead of time. Drivers who happen to already be in the lane that will continue should not consider themselves to be entitled.