A student driver in New York is practicing highway driving and needs to merge onto a highway from an acceleration lane. What should the instructor emphasize?

1. Stop at the end of the acceleration lane and wait for a gap in highway traffic, rather than using the lane to match the speed of the vehicles already on the highway
2. Use the acceleration lane to build speed matching highway traffic, check mirrors and blind spots, and merge smoothly into the travel lane
3. Merge from the start of the acceleration lane at any speed to claim a space, without matching traffic speed or checking mirrors and blind spots
4. Let the student merge without coaching so independence develops under pressure, even during early highway practice when real-time hazard guidance is needed