What do you need when the acceleration lane is short?

When the acceleration lane is short, having a longer gap to enter traffic is essential for safely merging onto the highway. A short acceleration lane reduces the distance available for a driver to reach the necessary speed to match the flow of highway traffic. This makes it crucial to find a sufficiently large gap in the traffic so that you can merge without disrupting the flow.

The longer gap allows for a safer merging process, as it accounts for the potential need to accelerate more quickly to match the speed of vehicles already moving on the highway. Therefore, a longer gap ensures that a driver can merge confidently and safely, minimizing the risk of collisions or abrupt lane changes that can occur with a shorter lane and insufficient space to maneuver.