I was raised passing in the left lane and driving in the right lane. According to the NJ Driving Manual I’m correct. While driving in Pennsylvania turnpike I saw a sign which made me double take:
Does this law vary by state or was that just a local rule?
I was raised the same way, and I couldn’t get the Pennsylvania D.O.T. site to load, so I can’t say for sure. I will say however, that this is probably the least followed law around here. If I waited for some people to move over to the right lane so I could pass, I’d die of old age. And I’ve had people speed up on me before if I flash my lights at them so I just pass on the right.
Were you in a construction zone? The rules can sometimes get switched around if the road’s being torn up. For example, if the left lane is a normal part of the road, but the right lane is a converted portion of the road’s shoulder where a half-assed attempt has been made to smooth over the rumble strips, sometimes semis will be instructed to drive only in the left lane. The left lane then ends up moving slower than the right lane.
Nope. Normal stretch of road with two lanes on each side.
mike1dog: My inspiration for this thread was a man from Illinois pulling into the left lane in front of me on my drive home tonight and going 40 in a 50 with no one else around 
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Oh my word. I feel your pain. We’re in the middle of a 2500 mile round trip of interstate driving and I can attest to the fact that manny peoples are in the left lane that have no business being there. My other peeve are the drivers that have no clue what it means to use their cruise control. Gah!
Oops. Just noticed this was in GQ.
My factual answer to your factual question is …
… dunno.
I, too, was taught that slower traffic should stay to the right and it was not proper (although done) to pass on the right.
On a multi-lane freeway (at least here in CA), there is no such Law. However, there is a 'slower traffic keep right". But if you’re not impeding traffic, you can drive in the left lane all you want. And, pass on the right, too, as long as it is safe.
Both Colorado and Illinois, at least, have laws on the books (relatively recent ones at that) that limit the left lane to passing.
We’ve beaten all flesh from the body of this motoring horse many times and are now grinding the bleached white bones thereof. Some people feel that it is their birthright to sit in a higher speed lane no matter what and will defend such action until you’re out of breath.
Despite out attempt to be ignorance fighters, this logic is lost on them, and even when you cite chapter letter and verse of a state vehicle code, they simply don’t care. I’ve simply given up with regard to educating them, and quietly await the day when hood mounted RPGs are an option. Then they’ll move the hell over.
This is one of the few things I’m really not looking forward to when I move back to the States next year. After living in Germany for 3 years, where people pass and get over immediately, I’m going to be so frustrated.
That, and I usually accelerate to at least 80MPH immediately upon getting on the Autobahn, and getting used to stopping at 65 is going to take some time.
Where are you expecting to go in the US to find people stopping their acceleration at 65 on the interstate?
In traffic, sure, but the general low-traffic speed around here is between 75 and 85. And this is a part of the country noted for its bovine, nonagressive drivers.
Well, I’m going back to Ohio…65 is the speed limit, and when I’m in a 65, I usually set the cruise at 72. At least in Ohio, pretty much anything above 7 mph over will net you a ticket. I’m really going to watch it because I’m used to setting the cruise at 90 and accelerating to 100-110 when I’m in a rush.
I love the people that merge onto the freeway in front of me at 49mph (requiring me to try to merge at 49mph also because they are ahead of me), and then watching them quickly move three lanes to the left so they can go 49mph in the left lane!
Everybody … in your opinion, what is the minimum overtake speed to be allowed in passing some one on a 70 MPH speed limit highway?
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10 MPH?
Should you be allowed to pass without kicking your cruise control out ----
If you can’t accelerate to 10 MPH faster than the vehicle you are attempting to pass you should just have to stay behind it?
What should be the minimum time allowed to pass a semi?
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60 seconds?
At what point is it okay to have the highway patrol pull you over for passing to slowly?
Is it your responsibility to judge the speed of overtaking vehicles behind you to ensure that you can complete your pass before they get to within 10 car lengths?
If their are 3 trucks on a row climbing a hill at 45 MPH and you are doing 70 should be required to slow down and pull in between them so the 100 MPH BMW which as come up behind you will not be impeded in is progress?
How far should the next vehicle be from the preceding one to make it okay to NOT pull into the right line after each vehicle passed? Time or distance?
Everybody has all these feeling about what is right. So, put some hard numbers to it. At what point are you going to graciously accept your $300 ticket for breaking the rules of the road? Give us some absolute numbers you are willing to live with and lose your license over. None of this “I know it when I see it “ stuff.
Assume the highway patrol can see exactly what is going on and the time and speeds.
What do you actually want that applies to EVERYBODY and all LEGAL vehicles using the roads at the same time.
Lets only use the road I have described and leave all other roads and streets out of it , just the 70 MPH, 2 lane each way divided by wide medium, outside of city limits, freeway, in the lower 48 of the USA.
GusNSpot So many questions, so little time. IMHO, if it takes longer then a minute to make a pass you should fall back and allow other cars to pass.
If you go right of the passing lane to allow a driver in that (passing) lane to pass you and he does not in a reasonable amount of time (i.e. you having to once again reenter that passing lane because of traffic in your lane) you no longer are obligate to allow him to pass, ever.
Trucks going uphill should NEVER enter the left lane.
It depends on the vehical. If it is a ‘normal’ car you should give more leaway, if it is a SUV or truck you don’t want to get stuck behind it so it is wise to get infront of it.
Everybody has all these feeling about what is right. So, put some hard numbers to it. At what point are you going to graciously accept your $300 ticket for breaking the rules of the road? Give us some absolute numbers you are willing to live with and lose your license over. None of this “I know it when I see it “ stuff.
What do you actually want that applies to EVERYBODY and all LEGAL vehicles using the roads at the same time.
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A speed limit that matches the natural speed limit (NSP of the road and fines bases on the variance from this number (i.e. NSP = 75 mph, give 5mph tollerance, cars going 20 mpg over get the same fine as 20mph under)
HAH.