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September 18, 2025 6 mins

Why do Americans hate the zipper merge while Germans embrace it? In this cultural deep dive, we explore how different societies view merging - from America's fairness-first mentality that sees late mergers as "cheaters," to Germany's law-based order, Scandinavia's cooperative trust, and Japan's harmony-focused approach. 

Discover why merging isn't just about traffic engineering - it's a mirror reflecting our cultural values around competition, cooperation, and fairness. 

We'll examine why so many drivers say "I know zipper merging is right, but I'll never do it" and challenge you to reframe that car in the ending lane from cheater to cooperator.

Hashtags: #ZipperMerge #TrafficCulture #DrivingPsychology #MergeEtiquette #RoadRage #TrafficFlow #CulturalDifferences #DrivingHabits #ConstructionZones #TrafficEngineering #CooperativeDriving #CompetitiveDriving #MergeVigilantes #TrafficFairness #SocialContract #MasteringTheCommute

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Host

Randy A Keith

Randy A Keith

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