Video: MnDOT cameras capture crash during zipper merge on Hwy 10 in Coon Rapids
COON RAPIDS, Minn. -- The zipper merge is perhaps the most contentious traffic issue in Minnesota.
Tempers run hot when the topic comes up -- some believe it's the safest option (including, by the way, transportation officials), while others vilify any driver who dares attempt the move.
Minnesota Department of Transportation cameras on Monday captured a crash during an attempted zipper merge on Highway 10 in Coon Rapids.
Cameras showed one vehicle driving down the left lane, approaching a lane closure. Before the driver could reach the zipper merging point, another driver in a pickup truck swerved into them, driving their vehicle off the road.
According to the Minnesota State Patrol, the crash caused no serious injuries, and it remains under investigation.
MnDOT asserts the zipper merge "benefits individual drivers as well as the public at large," reducing congestion as well as the risk of serious crashes and road rage.
"Don't worry about being 'Minnesota nice,'" MnDOT says on its website. "When traffic is heavy and slow, it is much safer for motorists to remain in their current lane until the point where traffic can orderly take turns merging."
However, MnDOT also says the zipper merge is not advisable when traffic is moving at highway speeds without backups.
"The bottom line is to merge when it is safe to do so," the agency said.