# Driving in the left lane **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 16, 2022, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-left-lane/976644 "2022-12-16T13:52:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2022, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-left-lane/976644/41 "2022-12-16T23:24:32Z")
Trying to explain this in LHD/RHD-neutral terms. Let’s see how I do … One of the rationales I’ve heard from inside campers is that they feel safer there. 1. There are not scary cars on both sides of them as there would be if they cruised in a middle lane. 2. There are not scary cars pulling into their lane at on-ramps as there would be if they cruised in the outermost lane. 3. When a car does pass them, it’s on the far side of their own vehicle, so they’re farther away and less startling than if they whiz by right next to the driver’s door. Granted, these are stupid reasons. But they are the reasons given. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2022, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-left-lane/976644/42 "2022-12-16T23:27:42Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > No, there’s a subtle difference. “Keep right except to pass” means no one should ever spend a lot of time in the left lane. You drive in the right lane, change lanes briefly to pass, then move back to the right lane. In moderate but not too heavy traffic, that means the faster drivers are constantly changing lanes. > > Under, “Slower traffic keep right”, faster than average drivers can spend quite some time in the left lane, only changing lanes to allow even-faster-than-average drivers to pass them. > > If you’re looking to minimize the number of lane changes, which is when a lot of accidents occur, “Slower traffic keep right” is better, but it does impose a burden of care on left-lane drivers to be aware of what’s going on behind them. This. Exactly this. Which is why smarter states use the “slower traffic keep right” model. The “keep right except to pass” model essentially turns the typical rural state high highway or interstate into a one-lane-each way road. All the wear and tear is on just the outer lane’s pavement and the road’s total carrying capacity is limited to how many cars fit into 1 lane. Or at least that’s what the law ignorantly requires. What really happens once the outer lane is beaten by large trucks into a washboard surface or there’s too much traffic to flow fast in one lane is that everybody switches to some haphazard version of “slower traffic keep right” and “I’ll drive whatever speed I want in whatever lane I want.” Which works as badly as it sounds. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2022, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-left-lane/976644/43 "2022-12-16T23:39:57Z")
I wouldn’t call Ohio to Oklahoma “cross country.” You’re only “crossing” two states. I’ve driven California to Ohio several times. That’s a much longer trip, but still not “cross country.” ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2022, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-left-lane/976644/44 "2022-12-16T23:58:46Z")
> [@carrps](#): > > I’ve driven California to Ohio several times. That’s a much longer trip, but still not “cross country.” This is needless SD pedantry. CA to Ohio is truly cross country. You don’t have to go sea-to-shining-sea to be on a cross country trip. And to the OP, you’ve got more patience than me. I would have said something before we left the state. Polite at first, mildly snark after 200 miles, full on “GET IN THE RIGHT LANE!” after 500 miles. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2022, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-left-lane/976644/45 "2022-12-17T00:04:47Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > > [@WildaBeast](#): > > > > then people like the woman described in the OP tell themselves “I’m not going slow. I’m going a perfectly reasonable speed. So it’s ok for me to be in the left lane.” > > And those people are idiots, because it’s “slow **er** ” traffic, not “slow”. Of course, if people weren’t idiots, we probably wouldn’t need so many traffic rules. Yeah, but slower than what? You and I know it means “Slower than other traffic”, but maybe she thinks it means, I don’t know, maybe “Slower than the speed limit.” ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2022, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-left-lane/976644/46 "2022-12-17T00:10:30Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > And to the OP, you’ve got more patience than me. I would have said something before we left the state. Polite at first, mildly snark after 200 miles, full on “GET IN THE RIGHT LANE!” after 500 miles. I figure the driver of the car is the captain of the ship. They don’t get my advice unless they ask for it, or there’s a sudden emergency. Especially if they’re sort of my boss The only people who I would tell to get in the right (and correct) lane would be my wife, my kids, good friends (perhaps) and my employees. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2022, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-left-lane/976644/47 "2022-12-17T00:26:29Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > The only people who I would tell to get in the right (and correct) lane would be my wife, my kids, good friends (perhaps) and my employees. Literally the only people whom I have given driving advice to are my wife (and VERY few times at that) and my kid who is a learning driver and asks me for advice and feedback. The idea of criticizing your boss or a client’s driving seems foolhardy at best. Unless they are actually endangering lives. Camping out in the left lane on I-35 doing 70 in a 65 doesn’t meet that criteria by a long way. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2022, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-left-lane/976644/48 "2022-12-17T00:35:52Z")
Moderating: > [@pkbites](#): > > Because like others who do this she Can’t Understand Normal Thinking. Please don’t use slurs. Even if you cleverly hide them in acronyms. ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2022, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-left-lane/976644/49 "2022-12-17T01:06:24Z")
In Minnesota the few signs they do have say “Slower traffic move right”, maybe because it sounds more direct than “keep right”. I’ve gotten best results in a similar situation by telling of the only time I’ve hit a deer, it was because it was coming up from the median and there was less time to react than if it came from the right shoulder. ---
**Author:** ![Janus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c2a13f/32.png) [@Janus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Janus)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2022, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-left-lane/976644/50 "2022-12-17T01:37:19Z")
I frequently disobey traffic laws. I frequently am annoyed by slow pokes. But have never understood the legal justification people use, or the laws that are apparently on the books. The speed limit is 70 mph on this highway. But if you drive 70 mph and slightly inconvenience someone who wants to do 80 mph, we are gonna give you a ticket. And society considers you a jerk for obeying the law. I also drive 80 mph on Interstates. Sometimes someone comes up behind doing 90 mph. So I mover over. But that guy is a maniac. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2022, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-left-lane/976644/51 "2022-12-17T01:39:40Z")
90 is fast? You’ll be hit from behind if you drive 90 on the interstates in Miami. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2022, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-left-lane/976644/52 "2022-12-17T03:03:33Z")
> [@Dead\_Cat](#): > > ISWYDT - good one! It couldn’t be any more obvious. Ugh. Awful. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2022, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-left-lane/976644/53 "2022-12-17T03:56:26Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > Just out of curiosity, why is the OP and the fed making that awful drive instead of jumping on a plane? We had to take some measurement equipment to Tinker AFB (oscilloscope, isolation transformer, meter, etc.) to take some measurements. Figured it would be easier to drive vs. fly. We’re now in Greenville, Illinois to spend the night. She drove in the left lane the whole way here. Tomorrow… more of the same back to Dayton, I expect. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2022, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-left-lane/976644/54 "2022-12-17T04:05:40Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > And to the OP, you’ve got more patience than me. I would have said something before we left the state. Polite at first, mildly snark after 200 miles, full on “GET IN THE RIGHT LANE!” after 500 miles. The problem is that you can’t simply tell some to “GET IN THE RIGHT LANE!”. They have to know how to _ **drive** _… they have to know when to overtake someone, and _how_ to make the maneuver. It takes years of driving to learn this. Oh, and she tailgates, and likes to slam on the brakes when the car in front stops. I am cringing in the passenger seat. 😖 ---
**Author:** ![pirviii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pirviii/32/3233_2.png) [@pirviii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pirviii)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2022, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-left-lane/976644/55 "2022-12-17T04:13:10Z")
> [@Janus](#): > > But that guy is a maniac. As the great George Carlin said, The drivers going slower then you are assholes and those going faster then you are maniacs. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2022, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-left-lane/976644/56 "2022-12-17T05:00:48Z")
> [@Janus](#): > > The speed limit is 70 mph on this highway. But if you drive 70 mph and slightly inconvenience someone who wants to do 80 mph, we are gonna give you a ticket. And society considers you a jerk for obeying the law. …and this is why I’ve often advocated that, in a democracy, that speeding tickets should be based on how fast you were going relative to the rest of traffic. If everyone else on the road thinks that 100 mph is safe, who are we to disagree? ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2022, 8:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-left-lane/976644/57 "2022-12-17T08:31:55Z")
> [@carrps](#): > > I wouldn’t call Ohio to Oklahoma “cross country.” You’re only “crossing” two states. Show me Ohio to Oklahoma while only being in 2 states total. Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri are 3 states in and of themselves. Were they in the Mach 5 and jumped over a state and the state they started in and finished in Don’t count? ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2022, 8:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-left-lane/976644/58 "2022-12-17T08:42:22Z")
My mother used to do this, often to the point of creating a traffic hazard. Eventually saying “You know, if you get passed on the right a couple of times, you’re probably in the wrong lane and causing a traffic hazard. Get over to the right when there’s a reasonable gap.” enough times got her to stop doing it while I was in the car. > [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > The problem is that you can’t simply tell some to “GET IN THE RIGHT LANE!”. They have to know how to _ **drive** _… they have to know when to overtake someone, and _how_ to make the maneuver. It takes years of driving to learn this. Umm, even my mom knew how to overtake another car. They actually covered it in driver’s ed. If they aren’t able to do that, they might need to consider giving up their license. > [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > Oh, and she tailgates, and likes to slam on the brakes when the car in front stops. I am cringing in the passenger seat. 😖 Man, I probably would have just exclaimed something after that happened the second time. Of course, I have shouted things at people that I meant to only think. ---
**Author:** ![john\_b\_2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a9a28c/32.png) [@john\_b\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/john_b_2)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2022, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-left-lane/976644/59 "2022-12-17T13:18:48Z")
By all means, compel this woman to drive in the right lane, point out the hazards of her actions. Maybe a letter or e-mail would make addressing this issue more comfortable to address, thus non-confrontational. This is actually a very serious issue; that her poor choice of which side of the road she has chosen to drive on can lead to not only tickets from the highway police but serious accidents, potentially life threatening. There is nothing mundane or pointless about what you’ve said in your post. I urge you to take action on this, sooner rather than later. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2022, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-left-lane/976644/60 "2022-12-17T14:15:56Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > Oh, and she tailgates, and likes to slam on the brakes when the car in front stops. How is she both driving too slowly and tailgating? She’s she just always go 60, no matter what the nearby cars are doing or something? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-left-lane/976644.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-left-lane/976644.md?page=4)