Fun Traffic Encounter

[blind34_1]

So today I'm driving down a street I know pretty well. Its one of those where, after a stoplight it begins to merge into one lane (right lane ends, left lane continues). There are a lot of these in my town, and I know where most of them are at. So in THINKING AHEAD, I go ahead and get in the left hand lane before I stop at the stoplight. There is plenty of traffic in both lanes, and I am about three cars back.

The light changes, some cars make a right into the pharmacy on the corner, which is the only thing before the lane reduction. Then some ghetto cruiser starts edging into my lane (left lane). After being about 1/4 into the lane he signals his obvious intention of being an idiot, and doesn't even look. His passenger looks back at me as I'm roasting my tires and brakes trying to avoid slamming into this genius. I didn't hit him, but guess what? He stops! What is his thought process? He has now stopped all traffic, I'm staring at him, amazed at his stupidity, and his passenger is saying something and gestulating (couldn't tell what the gestures were). So I give both of them a one-fingered salute, smile and nod. They started rolling for a few feet and stopped again, when they noticed my finger. The passenger is riled up pretty good. The driver is informed of my opinion of his driving and he opens his door, like he's going to get out and beat my ass. The door stayed ajar, but nobody came out (could've been loading a gun, and telling his homie he's "finnah gonst to bust a cap in dis mofucka"). At this point, I'm like fuck this and sped around him. I was not about to hang around to watch this moron demonstrate his ignorance, or to have to defend myself against these two cretins. I turned onto the first sidestreet I could find, and turned a few more times to hide myself. I parked it and sat for a while, trying to calm down. (You now how you feel when you are almost in an accident or something, your knees feel weak, your hands shake, and you can't put the clutch in because your legs feel weak? thats why i pulled over, adrenaline was at full tilt) He didnt chase me, and I haven't seem him since.

Okay, now I want your opinion. Based on what I told you here, who was in the wrong? Me for not letting him over, or him for merging without looking? And after performing a bone-headed maneuver like that, would you not expect a middle finger thrown your way?

As I understand the rules of the road, when faced with a vehicle trying to merge, you should try to get into the far lane to allow him onto the right lane. In this case, this was not possible as it reduces to one lane. Is it not up to him to negotiate his lane change? Should I have stopped everyone else to let him over? I think what I did was right, but I would like to know all of your opinions.

Here is a small illustration of what went on: