# Inside lanes vs outside lanes on the highway **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 17, 2015, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inside-lanes-vs-outside-lanes-on-the-highway/722763 "2015-06-17T16:38:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CoastalMaineiac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e8c25b/32.png) [@CoastalMaineiac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CoastalMaineiac)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inside-lanes-vs-outside-lanes-on-the-highway/722763/1 "2015-06-17T16:38:13Z")
Reading some British articles on driving made me curious, it seems that the Inside lane to the British is the one closes to the shoulder of the highway, whereas the outside lane is the one closest to the median. I’m having difficulty wrapping my head around this. Is there some logical, linguistic reason for this? Whenever I’ve heard someone say “inside lane,” I would have always thought they meant the one closest to the median. Could someone explain to me why it is as it is? I know the British drive on the opposite side of the road, but I wouldn’t have thought they had their ins and outs backward, too. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inside-lanes-vs-outside-lanes-on-the-highway/722763/2 "2015-06-17T17:10:30Z")
Inside lane as nearest to shoulder makes sense because you move back ‘in’ after overtaking. Inside as nearest to median makes sense because it’s the ‘inside’ of the width of road. Thus, the term is ambiguous. ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inside-lanes-vs-outside-lanes-on-the-highway/722763/3 "2015-06-17T17:13:50Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Inside lane as nearest to shoulder makes sense because you move back ‘in’ after overtaking. > > Inside as nearest to median makes sense because it’s the ‘inside’ of the width of road. > > Thus, the term is ambiguous. Got it in one. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inside-lanes-vs-outside-lanes-on-the-highway/722763/4 "2015-06-17T17:16:16Z")
Terminology isn’t consistent from region to region. Personally, I don’t use “inside” or “outside” for highway lanes, or hear it much, either. “Passing lane” (“Overtaking lane” in Brit-speak) or “Fast lane” is more explicit for the one closest to the median. “Lefthand” and “righthand” lane are also clearer, within context (they obviously mean opposite things for “drive on the left” countries). Then, there is a common convention in at least some parts of the US to simply number them left to right - the “number one” lane is the left hand lane. Police reports and insurance adjusters seem to favor this convention. ---
**Author:** ![core](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d26b3c/32.png) [@core](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/core)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inside-lanes-vs-outside-lanes-on-the-highway/722763/5 "2015-06-17T18:13:11Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Thus, the term is ambiguous. Yes it certainly is. But cops around here use the term all the time over the radio, so I hope they at least have it straightened out among themselves. But I think by the time they got close to the 20 car pile-up, they would quickly know what the other guy meant. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inside-lanes-vs-outside-lanes-on-the-highway/722763/6 "2015-06-17T22:47:53Z")
> [@core](#): > > Yes it certainly is. But cops around here use the term all the time over the radio, so I hope they at least have it straightened out among themselves. But I think by the time they got close to the 20 car pile-up, they would quickly know what the other guy meant. [hyperbolic nitpick] I have trouble imagining a 20 car pile up restricting itself to just one lane. Sure, I suppose its possible, just not likely. 😉