This morning as I was getting on the freeway, I was in a line of cars patiently waiting my turn to merge and then, in my rear-view mirror a not-so-patient person behind me steps on the gas and jumps into the fast lane and speeds by the rest of us with a smirk on their face with a look of "beat ya" all about them. Most of the time they don't look to see if they're going to kill someone already in the fast lane and they are always on the phone and they never signal.

There's got to be a law. What can we careful drivers do to help settle these impatient "type-A's" down so they don't kill anyone? Oh, and sure enough, it happened on the way home, too.

— Roger G., Ashland

Well Roger, I know it can be frustrating, but in this case I guess the early bird gets the worm, or at least the first spot in the fast lane.

Once you're established in the slow lane, then anytime you want you can move to the fast lane, even if that's before some of the drivers in front of you decide they're going to move over.

However, when I say "anytime you want," that doesn't relieve those drivers of the responsibility to signal appropriately and to only move into the lane if it's safe to do so. They also can't be so impatient that they're doing what we call "cutting the gore," which is driving over the two white lines that taper together between the on ramp and the freeway.

I must emphasize that other drivers shouldn't do anything to settle those "type-A's" down — that's our job. If we see someone speeding, cutting the gore, not signaling, having their cell phone distract from their driving, etc., then we'll be more than happy to appear from the shadows for a little counseling in driving rules, and maybe a personal invite to traffic school.

Dace Cochran, a patrol sergeant with the Jackson County Sheriff's Department, writes a weekly Q&A column on police issues for the Mail Tribune. Have a question for him? Write to Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501, or e-mail cochradc@jacksoncounty.org.