This is provided you can merge at the velocity of the merging lane. It's obvious that merging late is a good strategy if you can do that because essentially you

This is provided you can merge at the velocity of the merging lane. It's obvious that merging late is a good strategy if you can do that because essentially you're using what is otherwise unused space. However, the problem is that many people who merge late go so far that they have to practically stop to enter the lane they're merging into. Note that late merging is usually around 50 meters before the lane ends. If you go too far, then you're forced to slow down drastically and your merging will cause a problem for other drivers.