Lieutenant Stephen J. Walsh, who commands the Traffic Program Section of the State Police, provided these instructions for drivers entering a highway:
The safest highway travel happens when all vehicles are moving in the same direction at the same speed. Under Massachusetts law, the onus is on drivers entering a highway from an onramp to yield right of way to vehicles traveling on the highway.Drivers on ramps should travel at a reasonable speed, taking into consideration the posted advisory speed, as well as weather conditions. After entering the merging lane of the highway, drivers should accelerate to the speed of the traffic, remaining aware of traffic flow to their left, as well as that of vehicles exiting the highway ahead of them.Drivers traveling in the right lane of the highway should be aware of traffic entering the highway from the onramp and, when appropriate, adjust their speed to allow drivers entering the highway to merge. This cooperative "give and take" strategy allows for the efficient and safe merger and flow of highway traffic.On a multilane highway, continuous travel in the left lane is a violation of Massachusetts law. Drivers may only use the left lane to pass slower-moving traffic.
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