Why do you REFUSE to pass left/drive right?

[Anonymous]

Eh, I'm not passive aggressive but I don't speed as much as some here and I sometimes end up in the left lane doing five over the limit. If there is no one to my right I usually will move over but sometimes I don't because there is a much slower vehicle just ahead and I don't choose to get immediately stuck behind them. Sometimes I'm lining up to take one of the left hand exits that are so common around here. Sometimes I'm passing someone but not going as fast as you might like.

Sorry that this makes me the worst person in the whole world.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My girlfriends and I were driving up to NYC for a girls weekend. My friend, who was driving, was just driving down the left lane the entire way (it was like 12am, so the highway was empty). Finally, I couldn't stand it anymore, and I asked why she was driving in the left.

Her response? "I always drive in the left lane. Is that wrong?"

She had no idea that people drive right and pass left! No idea! She grew up here, been driving here for 15 yrs, took drivers ed with me in high school, yet had no idea that it was frowned upon to cruise in the left lane.

I guess some people really don't know.

I've had this same experience. I think some people just honestly don't know. So that divides left lane campers into two groups: the ones who don't know better and the ones self-policing left lane traffic.

[Anonymous]

It is funny but I think the people I most commonly see failing to yeild in the left lane to faster traffic are either 1.) older white males (clearly a power thing with them) or 2). Folks who look to be recent immigrants, usually with the whole family in the car (probably dont know the law or are nervous drivers) . I think it is really, really funny that these two groups have this (one) thing in common!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My girlfriends and I were driving up to NYC for a girls weekend. My friend, who was driving, was just driving down the left lane the entire way (it was like 12am, so the highway was empty). Finally, I couldn't stand it anymore, and I asked why she was driving in the left.

Her response? "I always drive in the left lane. Is that wrong?"

She had no idea that people drive right and pass left! No idea! She grew up here, been driving here for 15 yrs, took drivers ed with me in high school, yet had no idea that it was frowned upon to cruise in the left lane.

I guess some people really don't know.

I've had this same experience. I think some people just honestly don't know. So that divides left lane campers into two groups: the ones who don't know better and the ones self-policing left lane traffic.

is she a blonde?

[Anonymous]

I think there are some drivers that do this because of a control/power thing, policemen of the universe, etc. Then, there is a definite bunch that are just seriously clueless (my darling DH falls in this category and it makes me beyond insane to drive with him). Personally, I am constantly aware of what is happening all around me on the road - to the left, right, behind me, the panorama in front of me. I see if someone is going to need to get over in the near future, is clearly turning (even if no signal), is stopping to parallel park (thus, give them some room to do it and don't get right up behind them and then throw up your hands because you can't back up). There are so many VERY annoying things about these clueless drivers that I could go on and on, but I'll just give my personal favorite gem (besides the rage inducing slow left lane behavior). When DH and I first started dating, when ever he was looking for a spot to parallel park on the street and saw someone getting ready to pull out, he would quickly drive up right in front of the spot to be in position to back in BEFORE they pulled out of the spot, so they had to maneuver their car around him to actually get out. After watching this a few times, i couldn't take it and I asked him how he expected them to get out with his big SUV blocking their path. Seriously, I could tell that this question had NEVER occurred to him! His mom does it too - they both drive like 80 year old people that have bad sight and difficulty hearing (basically people that probably shouldn't drive). And yes, they also both park themselves in the left lane.....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because youre holding up traffic being a rules lawyer. If you'd just move aside to the right and let the speed demons pass, you can hop right back over and continue to put-put down the road in peace.

But isn't the "rule" that you should always drive on the right if there is room to. That is, if the highway was empty you should be driving in the right lane. I thought you could be ticketed (in some state at least) for driving on the left when the rest of the road is empty.

A PP mentioned Europe. In most of Europe its taught that way and you can be ticketed for blocking the fast lane.

[Anonymous]

One reason that being consistent in this area is more difficult than, say in Europe, is the ridiculous traffic flow logistics throughout the DC area. When traffic entering 395, for example, has to merge directly into the left lane you have a problem if the left lane is for faster traffic only. Likewise, so often the right lane becomes the turn lane so just plodding along at the speed limit on the right becomes difficult.

I think the lack of lane discipline is positively dangerous and am all in favor of keeping to the right, but there are definitely road layouts throughout this area that make it difficult.

[Anonymous]

Where I grew up (CT) and in many states surrounding it the left lane is for passing only. Most people seem to follow it.

Those who park in the left lane bother me. But so do those who try to bully others into moving over for them so they can go 20-30 mph over the speed limit.

[Anonymous]

In many areas of the country, it is the LAW that you MUST use the left lane for PASSIING ONLY. It avoids accidents due to unnecessary lane changes. But that is WAY too much common sense for this area!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I noticed on a recent trip to NC, drivers did use the left lane for passing and move to the right if you came up behind them. When I drive north thru Jersey and NY, drivers tend to park themselves in the left lane at 60 mph. Maybe southern drivers are more polite and mindful of this, but around here, forget it.

OP here, where my mom lives in upstate NY, people move for other drivers, too.

I wish VA would post signs along the left lane - "slower traffic move right"

I love driving in Upstate NY. People move over for you, they don't ride your ass, and they don't pass on the right. And they can drive in the snow too!

[Anonymous]

OP, its because they have no control over their own lives. They are miserable and want to try to bring the next guy down with them.

[Anonymous]

There are two different issues here: (1) "Drive right/pass left" and (2) get out of the way of overtaking drivers.

On (2) I agree with the speed demons. There's no reason not to move over if you can do so safely, but as others have noted, often it's that the person isn't moving over fast enough for the speed demon. On the other hand, if there's enough room for them to move over safely, there's enough room for the overtaking person to go around, and if you're already willing to go 20 MPH over the speed limit, man up and do some driving. You're probably paying more attention than the person you're overtaking anyway. And don't complain that the other person isn't following the law when neither are you. Don't say the other person shouldn't try to enforce the speed limit when hello? You're blowing a gasket because you think they're violating some other rule.

On (1) I'm not aware of any such rule. The left lane is the fast lane, not the "only when passing" lane. Generally I hang out in the left lane because I drive faster than all the other traffic, and I'm always passing someone, even if I can't see them yet. As PPs have noted, it makes more sense to stay away from the right hand traffic merging on and off. Why on earth would you want to have a line of traffic going 70 mph in the right lane (to accommodate the 80 mph person overtaking, naturally) when you're trying to accelerate to highway speed and merge?

In any case, the people who get furious just seeing left lane people -- like the pp who got fed up over her friend in the left lane when there was no traffic -- need to chill. It's like seeing two tourists blocking the escalator. Sure, you can get all angry about it, but is it really worth the stress?

Here's a suggestion: Next time you're driving with a passenger, ask them to time how long one of the left lane huggers holds you up with the stopwatch on their phone. I think you'll be surprised at how short the time is. When I used to commute on 395 in the mornings I started doing this and figured out that even when you come to a full stop, it's rarely more than two minutes before you're back up to a reasonable speed. It really helped with the perspective.

[Anonymous]

Generally passing left is the rule anywhere, especially interstate freeways, except when you get behind a senior citizen whose license should have been revoked 10 years prior!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My girlfriends and I were driving up to NYC for a girls weekend. My friend, who was driving, was just driving down the left lane the entire way (it was like 12am, so the highway was empty). Finally, I couldn't stand it anymore, and I asked why she was driving in the left.

Her response? "I always drive in the left lane. Is that wrong?"

She had no idea that people drive right and pass left! No idea! She grew up here, been driving here for 15 yrs, took drivers ed with me in high school, yet had no idea that it was frowned upon to cruise in the left lane.

I guess some people really don't know.

I've had this same experience. I think some people just honestly don't know. So that divides left lane campers into two groups: the ones who don't know better and the ones self-policing left lane traffic.

is she a blonde?

What the hell does it matter at 12 am when there's no traffic?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because youre holding up traffic being a rules lawyer. If you'd just move aside to the right and let the speed demons pass, you can hop right back over and continue to put-put down the road in peace.

But isn't the "rule" that you should always drive on the right if there is room to. That is, if the highway was empty you should be driving in the right lane. I thought you could be ticketed (in some state at least) for driving on the left when the rest of the road is empty.

A PP mentioned Europe. In most of Europe its taught that way and you can be ticketed for blocking the fast lane.

When I was in California, I heard that if you at going to slow for the conditions/speed limit and holding up 5+ cars, you can be ticketed.