Mini Rant - Drive right, pass left!!

[Ματθιας]

Drive right, pass left! it's a foreign concept, apparently.

Why do dome drivers insist on sitting in the fast lane, forcing everyone to pass on the right - especially on the interstate outside of city limits? Why?

Two vehicles pacing each other with a two lanes of traffic behind them and wide open road in front. I mean, seriously!!! Move over to the driving lane, and let faster traffic pass instead of forcing folks to pass on the right! Then, when you pass them on the right, they don't take the hint - especially when 10 or more vehicles roar by and some give them the bird. I don't understand.

Anyway, 1st world problem...

 

[Rustyt1953]

I had no idea that Ruthie was that far out west.

 

[Doug M.]

I used to stop folks for that when I had time. They were amazingly ignorant about the law (in many ways). About the only one I gave a warning is the one whose kid to him I would likely stop him. I preferred nights and some number of these folks were impaired. Most were just stupid. The majority of them offered me the opportunity to use all three violations possible on one ticket. I took it.

 

[Rule3]

I had no idea that Ruthie was that far our west.

No she is down here in the South, In Fl you can get a ticket for going slow in the left lane.

https://legalclarity.org/florida-left-lane-law-statute-rules-penalties-and-exceptions/

 

[Doug M.]

Most states you can; the model traffic code is generally in use in most places.

 

[NYlakesider]

Drive right, pass left! it's a foreign concept, apparently.

Why do dome drivers insist on sitting in the fast lane, forcing everyone to pass on the right - especially on the interstate outside of city limits? Why?

Two vehicles pacing each other with a two lanes of traffic behind them and wide open road in front. I mean, seriously!!! Move over to the driving lane, and let faster traffic pass instead of forcing folks to pass on the right! Then, when you pass them on the right, they don't take the hint - especially when 10 or more vehicles roar by and some give them the bird. I don't understand.

Anyway, 1st world problem...

I have talked with a few of those lane kings and most of them give you a variation of the speed limit is 65. I'm doing that speed and there is no reason to go faster! FWIW most of those people in a snow storm will go much slower than necessary and many will have on their 4 way lights. Nothing you can say or do (legally) will change their mind!

 

[Bigdog357]

I've been known to jump in front of them and slow down, forcing them to get in the right lane. Not a long-term solution, but it makes me feel better.

 

[old bear]

Most were just stupid. The majority of them offered me the opportunity to use all three violations possible on one ticket. I took it.
Doug, I was never one to Run Up my ticket count, but there were a few It made it a Joy To Do So. Pissing off some drivers was worth the extra paper work!!

 

[jaydoc]

My step brother was very passive aggressive about this. He would sit in the left lane and act oblivious. He knew full well he was pissing people off and enjoyed it. Not one of his better qualities.

 

[Jim Watson]

If the highway department would keep the right lane in better shape, I wouldn't be tempted to drive in the left.

There is a stretch of highway and a time of day that I will drive in the left lane unless somebody is gaining on me. An extra eight feet away from the shoulder and deer, dogs, coyotes, and cows is valuable.

 

[Rudi]

So many people should not be behind the wheel.

 

[pmanton]

Their mindset is "I'm going fast enough! No one needs to go any faster!"

 

[LVSteve]

If the highway department would keep the right lane in better shape, I wouldn't be tempted to drive in the left.

There is a stretch of highway and a time of day that I will drive in the left lane unless somebody is gaining on me. An extra eight feet away from the shoulder and deer, dogs, coyotes, and cows is valuable.

This, no question. I-10 between San Bernardino and Palm Springs is a classic example. I-40 in most places got so bad at one time late wife#1 commented that she had never been off-roading with a center divider. It still has right lane issues in many places given my last ride to Texas.

US-93 between Vegas and Kingman was all but unusable in the right lane in some places last Christmas. I took to running with my right wheels well in the shoulder with my left wheels on the "hump" between the ruts in the right lane. Picked up that trick from an Arizona registered truck in front.

Of course, some of the right lane aversion is down to the big wheels and consequent lack of sidewall on so many vehicles. Also, vehicle suspension tends to be stiffer these days to improve handling and braking at the expense of ride.

 

[sjmjax]

I'm definitely sympathetic to the "right lane" for travel. Left lane for passing.

However, I use to do a lot of long distance road trips. Our highways are often plagued with endless miles of interstate highway with horrible right lane conditions. Potholes and patches and road debris going on forever. Unpleasant driving and potentially damaging or dangerous.

Under those conditions it hard to not favor the better lane. It is however proper curiosity to pull over when it's obvious someone is overtaking you to pass.

 

[Rodan]

Most people are just oblivious to anything outside their car, or anything further in front of them than their front bumper. Until they've suffered a consequence, they just don't care. And many won't even comprehend that the consequence they eventually suffer is their own darn fault.

I was never a big ticket writer, but my favorites were failure to yield (pulling out in front of traffic) and impeding the left lane. Most of the recipients were either utterly clueless, or so distracted that they weren't paying any attention. Impeding the left lane not only clogs up traffic, it angers other drivers, and angry drivers do stupid, dangerous things. My feeling is that 60% or more of road rage incidents originate with some knucklehead blocking the left lane.

I will agree that the state of many Interstates' right lanes are just awful. We travel a good bit in a Class A RV, and I try to just do my thing in the right lane, but sometimes I have to take the left if there's no traffic just to keep the rig in one piece! Usually the truckers are doing the same.

 

[jeffrefrig]

Just people too stupid to use their rear view mirror.
On one of our road trips, maybe last year, a state trooper saw some woman blocking the left lane on a 3 lane (our) direction. He turned on his lights and got behind her, she woke up and moved to the far right and he went on his way. When I passed him, I gave him a thumbs up. He smiled and waved! I've often thought about getting in front of lefties, and slowing down, but that's unsafe for everyone else.

 

[Kiwi cop]

It is not just on the interstates. On our last visit to Houston I was in the right lane of the Beltway 8 access road approaching our hotel, so I was doing the speed limit. Traffic in the left lane was slowly passing me.

A rather large SUV towing a trailer passed me on my right using the shoulder. He overtook the two cars in front of me as well before pulling back into the right lane.

As for the standard of US interstates and freeways, come and drive New Zealand roads. They will give you a new appreciation for US ones. Two lane, no centre barriers and potholes/rough repairs so numerous that you just cant't drive around them.

 

[UncleEd]

All this fussing and fuming about going too slow, going too fast, passing, not passing. And where did it all get you? Here with mostly old age and really nowhere else to go.

 

[gjgalligan]

I've been known to jump in front of them and slow down, forcing them to get in the right lane. Not a long-term solution, but it makes me feel better.

Ahh, early stage of road rage.

So many people should not be behind the wheel.

That is how I feel about people that think the speed limit doesn't apply to them.

 

[Rustyt1953]

Never having the luxury of attending the Mount Olympus Driving School as some of you apparently did my dear old daddy taught me to swim with the rest of the salmon.

The real winner was my blood pressure.