# Left Lane Slowpokes **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [December 10, 2008, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-lane-slowpokes/476562 "2008-12-10T16:16:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2008, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-lane-slowpokes/476562/1 "2008-12-10T16:16:00Z")
Just having read [this article](http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Insurance/InsureYourCar/left-lane-slowpokes-drive-you-crazy.aspx) I honestly have to agree that nothing irritates me more than someone blocking the passing lane. But in truthful reality in 95% of the cases the person blocking the lane probably is doing the speed limit. It’s just that me and everyone else is breaking the law with our own excessive flow speed. Common courtesy and common sense say “move right” but is it really lawful to ticket someone who is blocking the illegal flow of traffic? ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2008, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-lane-slowpokes/476562/2 "2008-12-10T16:25:33Z")
Sure, since drivers have to both obey the laws but more importantly not contribute to dangerous situations on the road. Someone contributing to passing on the right is doing that, even if he is driving the limit. After all, it is still legal to drive on the left even if you are going 10 mph under the limit - but it isn’t a good thing to do. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2008, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-lane-slowpokes/476562/3 "2008-12-10T16:30:03Z")
Are you talking about freeways or urban streets? During rush hour or non-rush hours? If: 1. The traffic is sufficiently congested as to make lane changes inconvenient, difficult, or dangerous 2. A driver will eventually have to take the left lane anyway in order to make a left turn or take a left ramp 3. Other circumstances that I might think of in a minute … if you’re expecting the left lane to be reserved for “passing only,” when everyone else is just trying to navigate crowded streets, then you’re a chump. If traffic is heavy, and everyone is just trying to get where they’re going, then it’s a selfish asshole that expects one whole lane to be reserved just so he can go a tiny bit faster than everyone else. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2008, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-lane-slowpokes/476562/4 "2008-12-10T16:46:11Z")
How about this for a typical scenario: 2 lane interstate. Speed limit is 65. Traffic in right lane moving at 65-70. Guy in left lane is matching speeds with the left lane doing 65-70. Behind him is a closely packed group of cars angry at him becasue they all want to pass and flow along at 75-80. (Very reasonable and typical scenario I’ve seen a hundred times). Does the guy legally deserve the ticket? ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2008, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-lane-slowpokes/476562/5 "2008-12-10T16:54:22Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > Does the guy legally deserve the ticket? Why is this even an interesting question? Look up the state traffic laws and see whether it’s illegal. And then see if you can find a highway cop who’s willing to give a ticket in such a circumstance. Simple. This is not some tragic social ill here. Can we get exercised about something really important? How about when you signal to change lanes and the driver in the next lane speeds up to block you and honks when you squeeze in anyway? It’s happened to me three times this week. Fuckers. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2008, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-lane-slowpokes/476562/6 "2008-12-10T17:00:25Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > After all, it is still legal to drive on the left even if you are going 10 mph under the limit - but it isn’t a good thing to do. That depends on where you are. [QUOTE=Illinois Rules of the Road] When driving on an interstate highway or full access controlled freeway, a person may not drive in the left lane, except when passing another vehicle. Exceptions include when no other vehicle is directly behind the vehicle being driven in the left lane, when traffic conditions/congestion make it impractical to drive in the right lane, when weather conditions make it necessary to use the left lane, when there is an obstruction or hazard in the right lane, or when the driver is changing lanes to yield to emergency or construction vehicles. [/QUOTE] I.e. the left lane is the passing lane. Stay out of it unless you’re passing. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2008, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-lane-slowpokes/476562/7 "2008-12-10T17:11:32Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > Why is this even an interesting question? From the article: “This a real big hot-button topic for the public at large right now,” says Trooper Cliff Pratt. “We’ve had a lot of complaints” from drivers who’ve had to deal with left-lane campers. If you don’t find the topic interesting don’t respond. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2008, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-lane-slowpokes/476562/8 "2008-12-10T17:22:25Z")
This post gave me a flashback to several years ago when I caught a ride from Edmonton to Calgary from a co-worker. She drove an old model truck, and was not the sharpest crayon in the box. The #2 highway between Edmonton and Calgary is a divided 4 or 6 lane road with a left “passing” lane all the way. The speed limit is 110 (70 mph). She drove the entire way (300km, 200 miles) in the left passing lane, doing no more than 80 (50mph). I asked her why, and she said " I like this lane". I pointed out that this lane was primarily for passing, and she said “I don’t care”. I pointed out that everyone around her was clearly irritated, and she said “I don’t care”. She was a very nervous driver. It was a fun 300 km drive, with me in the passenger seat, getting the finger from every single driver of every vehicle that passed us in the right hand lane. At one point, we even got passed by 18 wheelers carrying hay, when she slowed to less than 60 km/hr (35 mph), IN THE PASSING LANE. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2008, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-lane-slowpokes/476562/9 "2008-12-10T17:26:11Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > That depends on where you are.I.e. the left lane is the passing lane. Stay out of it unless you’re passing. So far as I can tell, this is the standard in Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, and New Jersey: [State "keep right" laws](http://www.mit.edu/~jfc/right.html) Everywhere else, “passing lane” seems to be a misnomer. ---
**Author:** ![yanceylebeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yanceylebeef/32/12290_2.png) [@yanceylebeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yanceylebeef)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2008, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-lane-slowpokes/476562/10 "2008-12-10T18:32:43Z")
What part of “Slower Traffic Keep Right” is throwing you off? Seriously. Why be an asshole, just because “it’s legal” Get over, less hassle for everybody. Problem solved. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2008, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-lane-slowpokes/476562/11 "2008-12-10T18:48:16Z")
This is my number one gripe about driving in the states. It amazes how often you’ll come across a freeway completely blocked by people driving side-by-side going the SAME SPEED! It the UK you’re taught its not a “fast lane” its an “overtaking lane”, if you are not overtaking the guy to your right (or left in the UK) then get the hell out of it. Of course in the UK you are not allowed to “undertake” (i.e. overtake in the “slow lane”), personally I think they should bring that law in the US. ---
**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 10, 2008, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-lane-slowpokes/476562/12 "2008-12-10T19:24:42Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > She drove the entire way (300km, 200 miles) in the left passing lane, doing no more than 80 (50mph). I asked her why, and she said " I like this lane". I have no problem with laws designed to penalize drivers like this. An alternate scenario, which I’ve seen or been a part of on many, many occasions is on an interstate highway with the car in the left lane doing about 5 mph over the limit passing a slower vehicle in the right lane - when someone roars up behind the passer intent on continuing to drive 20 mph or more over the limit, tailgating, honking and making hand gestures at the driver of the car in front of him. In most places the tailgating driver will get the ticket if any are being handed out, and that is good. So, to answer the OP, I for the most part support laws targeting the drivers who drive dangerously, and less so against the drivers who “made them do it”. ---
**Author:** ![2sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/2/e47774/32.png) [@2sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2sense)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2008, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-lane-slowpokes/476562/13 "2008-12-10T19:59:17Z")
I’m an impatient driver but I try to be safe. I’ll drive fast but I don’t tailgate (even to the point of leaving a large gap that other cars often slip into) and I don’t weave in and out of traffic. I want to be able to pass in the left lane. People who cruise along in the hammer lane because they don’t want to bother changing lanes don’t belong on the freeway. Take surface roads if you lack the motivation or skill to do so. Or hang out in the slow lane. The only time a driver should remain in the left lane is if they are passing a line of cars at a reasonable pace (not taking 2 minutes to pass each car) or if they are behind another vehicle. If you are behind someone then you aren’t slowing anyone down, they are or there is so much traffic that moving in and out of the passing lane is impractical. I’m not proud of it but this sort of thing has driven me into road rage. On a few occasions when I’ve finally gotten past an asshole but moving into the right lane I’ll get in front of them and slow down to “teach them a lesson”. When I’ve calmed down I realize that is foolish. They don’t learn anything. They just think I’m the jerk. As the article linked in the OP notes, there is a law in Penna about not driving along in the hammer lane. I don’t know anyone who has been ticketed for it nor heard of any other than a notice in the news when the law first came out that people were being cited to make the public aware of it. Personally, I’m all for increasing the fines and greater enforcement. Persistant left lane slowpokes should lose the privilege of driving on the freeway. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2008, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-lane-slowpokes/476562/14 "2008-12-10T20:09:37Z")
It is about state of mind. Most people live within 10 miles from work. 60 mph is a mile a minute. Going 70 obtains very little time. Take it easy ,it is safer and more relaxing. I do not drive fast. I do not take up space in the left racing lane. I watch them roar by with fire in their eyes trying to waste gas attempting to save 1 or 2 minutes. It is risky,expensive and stupid. ---
**Author:** ![whorfin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/6f9a4e/32.png) [@whorfin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whorfin)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2008, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-lane-slowpokes/476562/15 "2008-12-10T20:39:16Z")
> [@2sense](#): > > The only time a driver should remain in the left lane is if they are passing a line of cars at a reasonable pace (not taking 2 minutes to pass each car) or if they are behind another vehicle. If you are behind someone then you aren’t slowing anyone down, they are or there is so much traffic that moving in and out of the passing lane is impractical. This is the right answer, if you include on a two-lane highway when there’s a line of cars entering in the right lane. Getting over for a minute to let them in is a good thing. Even if it is legal to camp in the left lane, it’s just dumb, and makes everybody worse off. (and often, when I see someone going at 55 in the left lane, they don’t seem to be all that aware of what’s going on around them in other ways—and that lack of awareness leads to accidents. So they’re generally drivers I want to get past ASAP.) ---
**Author:** ![2sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/2/e47774/32.png) [@2sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2sense)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2008, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-lane-slowpokes/476562/16 "2008-12-10T20:45:14Z")
**gonzomax** is offering some wisdom. I try to keep that in mind when driving to work. (Though I don’t think it’s all that much more expensive to drive 70mph than 60mph as long as you maintain a smooth acceleration curve and don’t jam down the gas pedal to get up to speed right away.) It’s when I’m travelling out on the “open” road that I’m most annoyed with left lane slowpokes. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2008, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-lane-slowpokes/476562/17 "2008-12-10T21:11:22Z")
When I was driving through Cincinnati to work there were a couple of spots on the highway that would slow down for no particular reason every day. Often this resulted in an accident which really made a mess of things. It was caused by left lane loungers who would pace the right hand lanes slowing down for exit. One day I got behind one of these clowns and I had no problem expressing my extreme displeasure in the hopes this person chose another time and place to visually inspect his colon. If you see a mile gap in front of you and a pile of cars behind you then you are backing up traffic. How hard is this to understand? This isn’t a function of driving a couple of miles slower its a matter of causing traffic accidents. If you can’t handle rush hour traffic then don’t drive through it. I don’t mean get out of the left lane, I mean get the hell off the road before you kill someone. I’m convinced the left lane lounge lizards are the same people at the head of a stop light who react slowly to a green light and then drive slowly off the line. Each car in line has to accelerate slower than the car in front of them to maintain distance so it screws everybody behind them. ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2008, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-lane-slowpokes/476562/18 "2008-12-10T21:21:29Z")
It depends. There’s a stretch of highway on my way home where I need to get into the far left lane and stay there for the mile or so until the highway ends. I’m not going to wait until the last minuute to get into that lane, and I’m not going to go 80 mph if that’s what the person behind me feels like doing. It’s the lane I need to be in because that’s the way the freeway was built. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2008, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-lane-slowpokes/476562/19 "2008-12-10T21:42:58Z")
> [@cher3](#): > > It depends. There’s a stretch of highway on my way home where I need to get into the far left lane **and stay there for the mile or so** until the highway ends. Why the need for the whole mile? ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2008, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-lane-slowpokes/476562/20 "2008-12-10T21:49:53Z")
[QUOTE=Hampshire] is it really lawful to ticket someone who is blocking the illegal flow of traffic? [/QUOTE] By “illegal flow” you’re referring to people driving faster than the posted speed limit? In California, it’s absolutely legal to bag the slowpokes at any speed. And it would be nice if the CHP would be able to enforce it more often. We simply have too may cars on the roads to arbitrarily designate one lane off-limits for travel. > [@A retired LAPD oficer](#): > > A driver going 65 in a posted 65 zone still can be issued a citation for not moving to the right – because he’s impeding traffic flow in a lane other than the farthest right one. Such a driver is more of a danger than one who is speeding, but keeping up with traffic flow. **I’ve issued many such citations. And they were upheld in court, even when the defendant was traveling at the posted maximum speed or even higher – if he or she was impeding the flow of traffic.** Slower traffic always needs to keep right, regardless of posted speed or actual speed – even if above the posted speed. Slower traffic keep right means just that – at any speed. From [http://www.pe.com/columns/on\_the\_road/stories/PE\_News\_Local\_S\_traffic01.4025745.html](http://www.pe.com/columns/on_the_road/stories/PE_News_Local_S_traffic01.4025745.html) [bolding mine] [CA Vehicle Code](http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/displaycode?section=veh&group=21001-22000&file=21650-21664) supports this: \* 21654. (a) Notwithstanding the prima facie speed limits, any vehicle proceeding upon a highway at a speed less than the normal speed of traffic moving in the same direction at such time shall be driven in the right-hand lane for traffic or as close as practicable to the right-hand edge or curb, except when overtaking and passing another vehicle proceeding in the same direction or when preparing for a left turn at an intersection or into a private road or driveway. (b) If a vehicle is being driven at a speed less than the normal speed of traffic moving in the same direction at such time, and is not being driven in the right-hand lane for traffic or as close as practicable to the right-hand edge or curb, it shall constitute prima facie evidence that the driver is operating the vehicle in violation of subdivision (a) of this section. (c) The Department of Transportation, with respect to state highways, and local authorities, with respect to highways under their jurisdiction, may place and maintain upon highways official signs directing slow-moving traffic to use the right-hand traffic lane except when overtaking and passing another vehicle or preparing for a left turn. \* The [CA Driver Handbook](http://dmv.ca.gov/pubs/hdbk/traffic_lanes.htm) also says on passing: \*Pass traffic on the left. You may pass on the right only when: - An open highway is clearly marked for two or more lanes of travel in your direction. \*[that would be any and all freeways] \*\* The driver ahead of you is turning left and you do not drive off the roadway. Never pass on the left if the driver is signaling a left turn. - [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-lane-slowpokes/476562.md?page=2)