Maybe it's because it's almost Halloween, but I've noticed a driving habit in Missoula I'm calling "the creep."

A while ago, I pointed out the Missoulians' habit of turning left at a light when it isn't their turn. It usually happens in really big intersections and especially if the light changes and nobody is moving, the person turning left will zip across the intersection before anyone else.

READ MORE: Missoula Has a New Bad Habit While Driving

That habit breaks traffic violations, but I'm not sure if this latest weird habit is actually a traffic violation or not. It has to do with merging. Tell me if this has ever happened to you.

An Example of 'The Creep' on Missoula's Roads

You're driving down one of Missoula's roads with a center turn lane--South Reserve Street and Brooks Steet are good examples. You're traveling (*ahem) the speed limit and you're traveling with the flow of traffic and then the car in front of you starts to move into the center lane.

And then rides the lane line for hundreds of feet.

This usually happens in a couple of irritating ways.

1) The driver doesn't signal that they're changing lanes, so it just looks like they're veering out of the lane.

OR

2) The driver slows down first, causing you to brake behind them, and then drifts slowly out of your lane.

The second variation is more irritating because if there's a lot of traffic you can't get around them. You just have to slow down and wait (and wait) until they finally merge into the center lane.

They creep.

A Theory on Where This Habit Comes From

To clarify this is not about using the lane to merge into traffic. This is about the drivers that are too leisurely when changing lanes. I wonder if this habit has developed because of interstate driving habits. If you're passing on an interstate and there's nobody else around, you can take your time getting back into the right lane. It's a little different if you're driving in town.

(Please) Don't be the creeper.

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