Mini Rant - Drive right, pass left!!

If I'm going faster than the general flow of traffic, am I not using the passing lane to pass people?
Yes you are so stay in the left lane when passing then move back to the right lane.

You say you set cruise to 5 mph over the speed limit. Why would remain in the left lane having to keep your eye on the mirror for people coming up behind you to pass, move over to the right lane so they can do so, then back to the left lane with your eye on the mirror for the next one?

The Interstate "speed limit" here is 70 mph and at my set cruise of 77 I'm passing probably 70% of the vehicles but 30% are passing me, which I'm grateful for.
 
Years ago in Driver's Ed it was drilled into our head that the left lane was for passing. Pass on the left and then get back into the right lane. However, not anymore!
Your right. I am guessing Drivers Education was dropped in 1995. So here we are with 30 years of not teaching it.
 
Look what happened to Society with dropping Civic Courses in High School.

Civic education in high schools began to decline significantly in the 1960s, with a notable shift away from dedicated civics courses as the curriculum narrowed and focused on other subjects. While some schools may have dropped specific civics courses earlier, the widespread reduction in emphasis on civics began in the 1960s and continued into the following decades.
 
If I'm going faster than the general flow of traffic, am I not using the passing lane to pass people?
the legal argument seems kinda silly to me, the guy speeding (me generally btw) complains that the left lane is being misused by others. It's a classic example of wanting freedom, while wanting to control others. That said, you can be going going faster than the general flow of traffic and not be engaged in passing another vehicle. In that case it'd be considerate and safer to get out of the way, IMHO. If there is room, there is nothing dangerous about moving to the right.

Ever notice that on a multilane highway cars travel in packs? There will be 20 or 30 cars bunched up, and ahead of them will be a 1/4 or 1/2 mile of open space. I think this is caused by the presence of a driver in the left lane not passing or a LEO. Anyway, it's hard for the guy in the left to move right because he put himself in a position where he can only stop impeding traffic by passing, but he won't because nothing is more important than strictly obeying the speed limit.
 
....Ever notice that on a multilane highway cars travel in packs? There will be 20 or 30 cars bunched up, and ahead of them will be a 1/4 or 1/2 mile of open space. I think this is caused by the presence of a driver in the left lane not passing or a LEO.
Also people using adaptive cruise control.
 
In Washington state, if several cars line up behind you, even on a single lane road, you must pull over and let them pass. There are signs to that effect everywhere on the peninsula.
 
Oh my, following the people (often old people) that will drive down the on ramp at 30 mph sometimes coming to a stop when they see cars in the right lane they are supposed to merge in with! Then there I am having to enter a 70mph highway from a standstill.
Usually here it's a hipster looking guy with thick glasses driving a beige 4-cylinder Accord with a matching turtleneck sweater.

When it comes to bad ramp design/build, Nevada takes the biscuit. One day in the front office of where I used to work I commented that many on ramps here have a kink just at the point you want to be looking in your mirror or over your shoulder to judge your merge. My coworkers all looked at each other with a chorus of "I thought it was just me". This road feature instantly became known as the "Steve kink". Gee, thanks.

The other trick they do here is on a clover leaf style on ramp they manage to arrange a tightening radius just where you don't need it as you approach the freeway. I don't know if they build them wrong at the surface street, so have to squeeze the ramp at the top, if something in the design changes halfway through construction, or if some road designer at the NV Dept of Transport has an evil sense of humor.
 
Ever notice that on a multilane highway cars travel in packs? There will be 20 or 30 cars bunched up, and ahead of them will be a 1/4 or 1/2 mile of open space. I think this is caused by the presence of a driver in the left lane not passing or a LEO. Anyway, it's hard for the guy in the left to move right because he put himself in a position where he can only stop impeding traffic by passing, but he won't because nothing is more important than strictly obeying the speed limit.
Ah, cuddlers. There are a lot of them on I-15 and I-40. I have developed the knack of driving "in the hole" at a speed where the trucks never catch me and I only catch them now and again. This drives my wife nuts as she thinks I should lock onto a speeder and let him/her beat the bushes for LE. I have pointed out MANY times that LE are well aware of that game, and often go for a trailing vehicle, especially one on out of state plates.

As for the "cuddlers" they will often catch me as I sit in the right lane on cruise in the hole, and slow down either to barely pass or fly in echelon. Sometimes I'll brake or accelerate hard to "cut the knot". Most get the message. Maybe they are insecure about traveling the desert on their own. They should take that up with their mental health professional, I'm not qualified to help.
 
LOL at "cuddlers"... :ROFLMAO:

I've always called them 'followers'... they have to be latched onto someone, and if they get separated and are alone, they either catch up and latch onto your blind spot, or speed up as you pass them to stay in formation.

And a pox on adaptive cruise control and all the other crutches that teach people they don't need to pay attention.
 
Oh my, following the people (often old people) that will drive down the on ramp at 30 mph sometimes coming to a stop when they see cars in the right lane they are supposed to merge in with! Then there I am having to enter a 70mph highway from a standstill.
there's no age limitation on this trick around here.
when I have one of these dweebs in front of me I'll let the twit get well ahead on the ramp.
While they are battling their anxiety with time running out, I've used the space to get up to traffic speed and slid into my chosen hole in traffic.
if they didn't make it, that's their problem. Most often they are oblivious to the fact that the car that was behind them is now part of the wall of cars forcing them to the shoulder.
Pro tip, You're going to need a little horsepower to do this.

Related to this is if I'm in the right lane and they are obviously under speed in the on ramp. don't expect me to let them in. That's a courtesy I reserve for those that know how to match speed and know why they should.
 
Or they are white one ton flat deck ford dually super duty with Alberta plates
Yeah , it's a thing .
that's all the duallies to be honest. It's rare that I see one operated by a qualified driver.
Honda SUV's and almost all jeeps fall into this category in my area. It makes me wonder if it's a personality type that's drawn to these vehicles or if its the vehicles are so dismal, they can be operated no other way.
 
That's good and works on most on ramps with a normal merge lane, venom. The one I have to use here has a very short section of the merge lane actually open to the highway, most of it is separated. So if she's going 35 up to that short section and starts slowing you're screwed, especially when she comes to a stop. I can't floor it to merge because she may well slow or stop in front of me before the ramp adjoins the highway.
 
Used to be a stickler about going the speed limit. I figured if people were on my bumper trying to go faster, that was their problem. Seemed like the right attitude at the time. Now I get over, and even speed up to hurry out of the left lane if necessary. You never know why someone else may be in a legitimate hurry. I was part of the problem. Not sure what made me come to my senses. Maybe driving in the city and being forced to exceed the speed limit to keep from getting run over!
 
Mr Watson , you sir do not belong in the left lane unless you are passing. Regardless of your speed. Not only are you breaking the law iin most ,if not all states. You are creating a traffic hazard. If you can not see, that as you are driving, you need to surrender your license. You thinki its ok to create a hazard to stop speeders? Get a grip, and get off the road
 
Used to be a stickler about going the speed limit. I figured if people were on my bumper trying to go faster, that was their problem. Seemed like the right attitude at the time. Now I get over, and even speed up to hurry out of the left lane if necessary. You never know why someone else may be in a legitimate hurry. I was part of the problem. Not sure what made me come to my senses. Maybe driving in the city and being forced to exceed the speed limit to keep from getting run over!
There's two ways to find out how fast your car is... Because you want to, and because you have to.
While one dominates the statistic, the last thing the other needs is someone thinking they should play cop. They have enough trouble without us making something difficult into something impossible.
 

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