# 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:** 4
**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 17, 2022, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-left-lane/976644/61 "2022-12-17T14:40:23Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > Of course, I have shouted things at people that I meant to only think. I was takin’ a trip out to LA. tooling along in my Chevrolay… And a friend of mine was driving. I was semi-napping, when she came upon a traffic back up due to an accident. I kind of woke up with a start and said “HEY!” or something similar. She was so offended, she pulled over got out, made me drive, and didn’t speak to me for the rest of the trip. I was NOT to be critical of her in any way. Even by accident. OK then. ---
**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, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-left-lane/976644/62 "2022-12-17T14:52:14Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > How is she both driving too slowly and tailgating She tailgates when the traffic is very heavy, on the bypasses around the big cities. In those situations, we’re 10 feet (it seems) from the car in front of us while we’re going 70 MPH. The car in front will brake, and she will slam on her brakes a second later, resulting in our bodies going forward and the seatbelts locking. Lather, rinse, repeat. ---
**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, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-left-lane/976644/63 "2022-12-17T14:54:50Z")
That would freak me out a lot more than her cruising in the left. ---
**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, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-left-lane/976644/64 "2022-12-17T15:03:20Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > > [@puzzlegal](#): > > > > How is she both driving too slowly and tailgating > > She tailgates when the traffic is very heavy, on the bypasses around the big cities. In those situations, we’re 10 feet (it seems) from the car in front of us while we’re going 70 MPH. The car in front will brake, and she will slam on her brakes a second later, resulting in our bodies going forward and the seatbelts locking. Lather, rinse, repeat. And this is why every commute every day in every major US city is marred by multiple accidents creating event worse slowdowns. Your cow-orker is by far the norm, not the eexception, when it comes to driving habits & driving skill. Often including the touchy attitude of @Just_Asking_Questions’ friend. ---
**Author:** ![Bootb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19b73/32.png) [@Bootb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bootb)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2022, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-left-lane/976644/65 "2022-12-17T15:17:03Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > Complain about all these idiots illegally passing on the right. That works only in certain jurisdictions. Passing on the right is perfectly legal in Colorado. ---
**Author:** ![Bootb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19b73/32.png) [@Bootb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bootb)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2022, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-left-lane/976644/66 "2022-12-17T15:19:50Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > 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. Have you ever pointed out to them that most rural highways don’t have a middle lane? ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2022, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-left-lane/976644/67 "2022-12-17T15:20:52Z")
Well, they would be going way out of their way if they are driving through Colorado. OTOH, out of all the states that they _would_ be driving through, passing on the right _is_ illegal. And the point was to point out the actions that other cars are taking in reaction to her driving, without commenting on her driving itself. ---
**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, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-left-lane/976644/68 "2022-12-17T15:40:18Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > According to DoD regs, she must be the driver, and I must be the passenger. If I were you, I’d make an official complaint about this part of it. If your job requires you to be a passenger in a car with an unsafe driver, that’s a real problem. The left lane camping is one thing, but the tailgating you describe is _actively dangerous_. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2022, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-left-lane/976644/69 "2022-12-17T17:26:46Z")
I suspect that making an official complaint about how the contract sponsor drives is going to be career limiting. ---
**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, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-left-lane/976644/70 "2022-12-17T17:46:19Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Your cow-orker is by far the norm, not the eexception, when it comes to driving habits & driving skill I agree with this. And this is why I wouldn’t chose this hill to die on. One less inconsiderate driver doesn’t change anything, and as pointed out upthread, there is almost no chance that anything a passenger suggests is going to change the way someone drives. Do people really think she’s going to say “good point, I hadn’t considered that” and move over? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2022, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-left-lane/976644/71 "2022-12-17T17:47:25Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > 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. Right. That is the way it is in CA, Drive all you want in the far left lane, just don’t impede traffic. Mind you, if the limit is 65, and you are going a tad above 70, but a few speedsters are zipping by at 80+, you don’t have to move over for them. In CA, as longer as she was driving a just little faster than the limit, no cop would ticket her for impeding traffic, since she wouldn’t be. She’d be legal. I think many states use “slower traffic keep right” . People who live in the “left lane is for passing only” states can’t get over the idea of just cruising along in the left lane. Here is a map. > **[Driving in the left lane: A state-by-state guide to when it's legal, when...](https://www.goupstate.com/story/news/nation-world/2019/10/25/driving-in-left-lane-state-by-state-guide-to-when-its-legal-when-its-not/2447573007/)** > > As of Nov. 1, if you’re riding in the left lane without passing another car in Alabama, you’ll be pulled over and issued a citation. The new law goes into effect as a means of combating road rage. > … OK is definitely a “left lane is for passing only” state. She was wrong to drive like that there. So there, you can inform her of the various state laws. And yeah, tailgating is dangerous. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2022, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-left-lane/976644/72 "2022-12-17T17:51:15Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > People who live in the “left lane is for passing only” states can’t get over the idea of just cruising along in the left lane. People who cruise along in the left lane with a long line of traffic backed up behind them can’t get over _themselves_. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2022, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-left-lane/976644/73 "2022-12-17T18:06:33Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > People who live in the “left lane is for passing only” states can’t get over the idea of just cruising along in the left lane. Including most of the European continent. ---
**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, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-left-lane/976644/74 "2022-12-17T18:07:47Z")
Moderating: > [@puzzlegal](#): > > 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. After reviewing your record, and talking with other MPSIMS mods, this is a warning. You have several priors for using that word, and you should know better. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2022, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-left-lane/976644/75 "2022-12-17T18:21:03Z")
Back in the 1980s, in Washington, DC, there was a guy who got his 15 minutes of fame by writing letters to the editor (translation for Millennials=a kind of papery Facebook) insisting that since the speed limit on the Washington Beltway was 55 mph, he had every right to drive that speed in the left lane, regardless of the traffic conditions. > “On divided highways I drive in the left lane with my cruise control set at the speed limit of 55 miles per hour because it is usually the smoothest lane. I avoid slower traffic coming in and out from the right and I avoid resetting the cruise control with every lane change. Why should I inconvenience myself for someone who wants to speed?” You can imagine the outraged response. > His driving practices were described as “illegal,” “dangerous,” “arrogant” and “putative vigilantism.” His name was John Nestor, and the practice was disparagingly termed “Nestoring.” > **[Nestoring Revisited](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/1999/02/28/nestoring-revisited/798322d2-ee85-48ac-ad5b-3e6fca6dd145/)** ---
**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, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-left-lane/976644/76 "2022-12-17T18:23:34Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > > “On divided highways I drive in the left lane with my cruise control set at the speed limit of 55 miles per hour because it is usually the smoothest lane. I avoid slower traffic coming in and out from the right and I avoid resetting the cruise control with every lane change. Why should I inconvenience myself for someone who wants to speed?” > > You can imagine the outraged response. He has a point. It’s hard to characterize someone doing the speed limit as “slower traffic.” You’re literally not allowed to go any faster than that. (The 55 mph speed limit was not his fault) ---
**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, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-left-lane/976644/77 "2022-12-17T18:26:16Z")
I know a guy who claims to do that today, mostly because he is offended by people risking everyone’s life by going faster than the speed limit. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2022, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-left-lane/976644/78 "2022-12-17T18:30:14Z")
It is very difficult to get clueless drivers to change their bad driving habits, and more so when they are bosses and perceived admonishments come from subordinates. Mrs. J. was once a passenger in a car driven by the head of her department. They were on Interstate 90 in South Dakota during a snowstorm, and conditions were getting worse. Mrs. J. calmly suggested that perhaps they should pull off at a truckstop at the next exit and wait until conditions improved a bit. Her boss refused, but shortly afterwards _screamed_ as the car slid off the road into a ditch in the median (yes, she was driving in the left lane). No one was hurt, but it took awhile for assistance to arrive and get the car extricated. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2022, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-left-lane/976644/79 "2022-12-17T18:31:56Z")
In most of the places I have driven, the speed limit is the _slowest_ anyone is going, and the majority of drivers are going 5-10 mph faster, with a minority going 10-20 faster, and the maniacs going 25+. So yes, the speed limit is “slower traffic.” I have heard, and I believe our LEO Dopers have confirmed, that the police will rarely if ever pull over someone who is exceeding the limit by less than 10 mph. In some places, the de facto limit may even be higher. So no, I don’t think that _in the real world_ Dr. Nestor had a point. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2022, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-left-lane/976644/80 "2022-12-17T18:40:13Z")
What people like him and Dr. Nestor don’t take into account with their self-righteous attitude is that the experts have determined that the most dangerous element in traffic is not absolute speed, but speed _differentials_. If each lane is moving slightly faster than the lane to the right, even if some are exceeding the speed limit, that is safer than someone coming up fast behind a slow car in the left lane, or swerving over to the right to pass that car. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-left-lane/976644.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-left-lane/976644.md?page=5)