PSA: It is ILLEGAL in VA to drive slow in the left lane of any multi lane road

[Anonymous]

What if I need to make a left turn in half a mile? If I wait until the last minute I can’t get over.

It’s bumper to bumper traffic in every single lane. Are we all supposed to further crowd the right lane to keep this left lane free? All lanes are packed during rush hour. That’s insane. It’s also dangerous to have one lane so unbelievably crowded that it goes 20 below speed limit and then a left lane going over speed limit. That’s how accidents happen

I absolutely think the left lane should be clear on a highway.

[Anonymous]

Are you all even in the DC area? You talk about vehicles approaching and you should move into the right lane. Umm both lanes are crowded, no one is approaching because there’s someone behind you constantly. You can’t get into the right lane because there’s no free spots there either. Just congestion all around. Sorry that someone wants to go 55 in the 45 zone, but ALL of us would like to be able to go the speed limit too. It’s just not possible with the level of congestion.

[Anonymous]

Like the two prior posts, I feel like this law was written for other parts of the state. If I'm on a multi-lane road, it's either the beltway, inside the beltway or within 10 miles of the beltway. When I'm on the road, it's with hundreds of my friends and neighbors so there is no orderly sorting of drivers according to speed/lane. We have left lane entrances and exits or just plain left turns so there's lots of reasons why a slower driver might be over there.

[Anonymous]

Obviously this isn't applicable during rush hour. But many people drive outside of rush hours times and many of them do just sit in the left lane. Either ignorantly or prickishly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Moving over when you see someone approaching from behind is the *safest* thing you can do.

I will never understand how people defend driving slower in the left lane. There literally is no reason, other than to be a bully. You're probably using your phones (even hands free) and think that slowing down makes you a better driver.

Yes, but if you’ve gotten to that point you’ve probably stayed in the left lane too long. Move back after you have passed. It’s really not that hard, people.

I absolutely hate drivers who "leap frog" their way down the road. Right lane, left lane, pass, right lane, left lane, pass.

I rode to Connecticut with a friend who did this the entire way. Nauseating.

Huh? That is normal driving.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Moving over when you see someone approaching from behind is the *safest* thing you can do.

I will never understand how people defend driving slower in the left lane. There literally is no reason, other than to be a bully. You're probably using your phones (even hands free) and think that slowing down makes you a better driver.

Yes, but if you’ve gotten to that point you’ve probably stayed in the left lane too long. Move back after you have passed. It’s really not that hard, people.

I absolutely hate drivers who "leap frog" their way down the road. Right lane, left lane, pass, right lane, left lane, pass.

I rode to Connecticut with a friend who did this the entire way. Nauseating.

That sounds like a "you" issue.

As long as you pass safely, there is nothing wrong with leap-frogging. It tends to keep the traffic moving and keeps everyone happy - slowpokes in the right lane, and left lane people who want to pass and/or go faster.

The PP is talking about something different, the aggressive drivers who are happy to go 90 in the far right lane or any lane to pass all the traffic if they see a car-shaped opening. They are the only drivers worse than the oblivious morons camped out in the left lane.

Good for Virginia. I would love it if every jurisdiction enforced the standard of keeping the left lane of a 3 or more lane road for passing only. And to the PP who brought up left-lane exits, that’s an obvious exception and red herring. No cop will pull over someone going the speed limit or less in the far left lane within a mile or two of a left exit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:But you can’t be in any lane and go above the speed limit. So, if you’re behind someone going the speed limit in the left lane you can’t get upset. It’s illegal to go above the speed limit.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Whether there’s a law or generally speaking and for safety, the left lane is for passing. If you are not passing anyone, you should be in the right lane. That’s what they teach in driver’s education.

As a counter example in the real world locally, there are LEFT only exits on the beltway. For example, from 495 inner loop in Tysons to VA-267 / Dulles Access Highway, there ONLY is a LEFT lane exit. Complain to VDOT if you want that changed, btw.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But you can’t be in any lane and go above the speed limit. So, if you’re behind someone going the speed limit in the left lane you can’t get upset. It’s illegal to go above the speed limit.

+1

So then the only time you'd be in the left lane is if someone in the right lane was going below the speed limit...

Since that happens so rarely, you all should be in the right lane 95% of the time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Moving over when you see someone approaching from behind is the *safest* thing you can do.

I will never understand how people defend driving slower in the left lane. There literally is no reason, other than to be a bully. You're probably using your phones (even hands free) and think that slowing down makes you a better driver.

Yes, but if you’ve gotten to that point you’ve probably stayed in the left lane too long. Move back after you have passed. It’s really not that hard, people.

I absolutely hate drivers who "leap frog" their way down the road. Right lane, left lane, pass, right lane, left lane, pass.

I rode to Connecticut with a friend who did this the entire way. Nauseating.

That sounds like a "you" issue.

As long as you pass safely, there is nothing wrong with leap-frogging. It tends to keep the traffic moving and keeps everyone happy - slowpokes in the right lane, and left lane people who want to pass and/or go faster.

The PP is talking about something different, the aggressive drivers who are happy to go 90 in the far right lane or any lane to pass all the traffic if they see a car-shaped opening. They are the only drivers worse than the oblivious morons camped out in the left lane.

Good for Virginia. I would love it if every jurisdiction enforced the standard of keeping the left lane of a 3 or more lane road for passing only. And to the PP who brought up left-lane exits, that’s an obvious exception and red herring. No cop will pull over someone going the speed limit or less in the far left lane within a mile or two of a left exit.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Moving over when you see someone approaching from behind is the *safest* thing you can do.

I will never understand how people defend driving slower in the left lane. There literally is no reason, other than to be a bully. You're probably using your phones (even hands free) and think that slowing down makes you a better driver.

Yes, but if you’ve gotten to that point you’ve probably stayed in the left lane too long. Move back after you have passed. It’s really not that hard, people.

I absolutely hate drivers who "leap frog" their way down the road. Right lane, left lane, pass, right lane, left lane, pass.

I rode to Connecticut with a friend who did this the entire way. Nauseating.

Huh? That is normal driving.

+1 This is the proper way to drive. PP complaining about this sounds like a left lane camper.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:But you can’t be in any lane and go above the speed limit. So, if you’re behind someone going the speed limit in the left lane you can’t get upset. It’s illegal to go above the speed limit.

Is there like a bat-signal that goes out for people like you to chime in whenever the topic of driving like an a-hole by staying in the left lane comes up?

Because here you are…. First response.

[Anonymous]

My neighbor, whose family we hang out with often (and have become friends with), has been a Fairfax County Police Officer for roughly 20 years. I asked about this because I travel the GW parkway daily and see this a lot.

He told me that he, and every officer he works with, would only enforce such a (left lane) law if the person in the left lane was going AT/BELOW the speed limit on a very busy road and not making any effort to move over when there was clearly a chance to do so safely.

I asked what if I am going 65mph (on a 55 mph road) and someone doing 75+ comes up and was riding my bumper. He said never in a million years would he pull someone over in that situation, but that the safe thing to do would be to get over when possible. This basically confirmed what I had assumed. But this is just what he shared, and he obviously wasn't 'speaking for' all of the county police force.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My neighbor, whose family we hang out with often (and have become friends with), has been a Fairfax County Police Officer for roughly 20 years. I asked about this because I travel the GW parkway daily and see this a lot.

He told me that he, and every officer he works with, would only enforce such a (left lane) law if the person in the left lane was going AT/BELOW the speed limit on a very busy road and not making any effort to move over when there was clearly a chance to do so safely.

I asked what if I am going 65mph (on a 55 mph road) and someone doing 75+ comes up and was riding my bumper. He said never in a million years would he pull someone over in that situation, but that the safe thing to do would be to get over when possible. This basically confirmed what I had assumed. But this is just what he shared, and he obviously wasn't 'speaking for' all of the county police force.

Thanks for doing this and reporting back!

[Anonymous]

So listen to police advice and stay right, pass left.