Final answer:
After turning into the deceleration lane, you should slow down and prepare to exit the highway, as this lane is specifically designed to allow vehicles to safely reduce their speed before leaving a highway. The correct is option 2) Slow down and prepare to exit the highway
Step-by-step explanation:
When you turn into the deceleration lane on a highway, the appropriate action to take is to slow down and prepare to exit the highway. The primary function of a deceleration lane is to allow vehicles to reduce their speed safely before exiting the fast-moving traffic lanes of a highway. Accelerating to match the speed of traffic in the deceleration lane (1) is not the correct action because the purpose of the lane is to decrease your speed. Merging into the next lane (3) also is not correct as you have already moved into the deceleration lane for exiting. Continuing to drive in the deceleration lane (4) without slowing down disrupts the flow of traffic and the functionality of this lane as it's meant for slowing down as you approach an exit, not for travel.
It's important to understand that while the term 'acceleration' commonly refers to an increase in speed, in physics, it is defined as a change in velocity, which includes speeding up, slowing down, or changing direction. Therefore, when accelerating in the opposite direction of motion, a vehicle is not speeding up but decelerating or slowing down, which is the correct maneuver to perform after entering the deceleration lane.