New traffic laws - make a zip

autoroute (c) marc mongenet

Motorists should be aware of a new rule which came into force at the beginning of the year – the zipper rule.

This says that in slow moving traffic if a lane closes, those drivers in the active lane should let one car in ahead of them. Not doing so could mean a fine of CHF 100.

But that’s only applied to slow moving jams. 

Today’s Blick newspaper highlights some rights and wrongs.

The zipper manoeuvre doesn’t apply when merging onto an autoroute. Vehicles travelling at high speed have priority and there’s no obligation for them to let you in.

When merging, motoring experts say speed is important and you should be travelling at the same speed as the autoroute traffic when you enter – they point out one of the biggest sins is driving too slowly on an entry slip road. 

If you run out of slip road, it’s OK to stay on the emergency lane until there is a gap – but you do have to enter the main road as soon as you can. 

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