I don’t understand the distinction. To the car being passed, what difference does it make if you switched lanes or not?
What if I start off in a lane to their right, drive past them, then switch into their lane? According to your definition, that wouldn’t be 'passing" as I only changed lanes once, but I don’t see how it’s any less of a perceived danger than actual “passing.”
(this wasn’t meant to be snarky, I’m genuinely curious about this, as this has always confused me)
When I drive in NJ, I find it remarkable how often people actually prefer to pass on the right. My guess is that they would rather be speeding in the slow lane than in the fast lane, because that’s where the cops are looking.
I’d say that the difference is that, in your scenario, you’re comfortably driving in your lane when you pass the vehicle. At least in my highway experience, people who do the double lane-change tend to make it more of a “swerve” around the passee rather than a smooth traffic manoeuvre. Plus, on most Saskatchewan highways (where I’ve done all of my driving), to pass in this fashion–or any fashion–one must go into an opposing lane of traffic, since many of our rural roads are only two-lane, one for each direction.
What if I’m cruising in the left lane and run into a slowpoke?
After taking a defensive driving class once, I tried flashing my lights at them, but that never worked (unless I tailgated them, too, in which case it might work), and I’d inevitably end up passing on the right anyway. A couple of times, though, the driver would suddenly wake up right when I was about to merge right, and move over. This seemed to be the least safe option, so eventually, I just started passing on the right as soon as I saw the slowpoke ahead of me.
Thailand drives on the left. Cambodia used to drive on the left, but in an attempt to cut down on the number of stolen cars being taken to Cambodia from Thailand, the government there decreed a switch to right-side driving. But who can afford to buy a new car in Cambodia? So now you have all these right-hand drive cars plying the right side of the roads. We hired a taxi to drive us from Poipet, on the border with Thailand, to Siem Reap, near Angkor Wat. Passing was pretty hairy, I’ll tell ya, especially when we were behind a large vehicle of some sort. The driver would edge over until he was able to see if anything was coming! It was a 2-1/2 ride, and after Sisophon, about halfway, the “highway” is dirt, so the dust being kicked up made it even harder to see.
In Oregon state (and I think Washington) flashing headlights is considered “aggressive” and you can be ticketed for it.
Another little known fact. At no time on the road are you allowed to go over the speed limit for any reason. This includes overtaking and passing a slow car while in the oncoming lane.
Not according to the State Troopers I have talked to. I do not know what the law says but the Troopers I talked to will give you a ticket if you are hanging up traffic by ‘inching’ past another vehicle while stacking up traffic behind you. Maybe I got all the ‘outlaw’ Troopers.
In every state I have checked, pedestrians as supposed to walk facing traffic. people waiting to cross the traffic lanes will be on either side.
YMMV
I always assumed it was because, assuming a two-lane road, passing on the right would require you to move onto the shoulder at highway speeds, putting you at great risk of plowing into any pedestrians, broken down cars, or even go off the road into a corn field or a ditch.
On a multi-lane road, "Pass on the left’ only makes a great deal of sense if you don’t have folks cruising in the left lane, which is what they do anyways. At that point, passing on the left would be preferable when possible because you can more easily see what’s on your left than your right, not having the rest of your car (and passengers) in the way of your field of view. I pass folks on the right when they’re cruising in the left lane all the time, especially in cities where folks will often get in the left lane specifically so they can slow down in preparation for a left-hand turn. The other day I got stuck in the left lane behind a dinky litle pickup truck towing a trailer full of scrap concrete, unable to get into the right lane because every OTHER jerk behind me kept cutting me off to pass on the right.
Of course, see the previously posted note about semi trucks, and remember that in the ongoing battle between smart-looking sedans and big blocky Semi trucks, the Semi trucks almost always win (because nobody messes with Optimus Prime)
It seems to be worth pointing out that even pedestrians walking towards oncoming traffic will STILL be on your right. They’ll just be facing you. 
Interesting that no Europeans have commented here. I have driven a lot in America and a good bit in Europe, and it generally tends to be a very strict rule over here. Here’s a few of my observations from driving in Germany (on the Autobahn, no less!) The system does indeed work, but only if everyone is down with it. It requires a bit more attention, though, which isn’t something that is so necessary on American intercity highways. In Germany, you don’t really get much of a chance to sit in the left lane with the cruise control as the traffic is higher, but still fluid.
It requires more effort in that when you are passing, you always merge right at the end, regardless if you see another truck that you’ll need to pass in the next minute. Why? Because there’s a chance that some dude in a BMW going 110 (MPH) will be up on your ass in no time flashing his lights…
In America there is simply not enough pressure to get back into the right lane most of the time, because you don’t have nearly as many cars in the open stretches of the highway, so we kind of have this desire to keep the cruise control on and just get in a lane that has no cars because it’s easier than slowing down and resetting it.
I really miss European lane discipline, especially in Germany. It was so nice and stress-free to know that cars will be passing you on the left and that no one will be clogging up the left lane with a friggin Lincoln Towncar set to the speed limit on cruise control.
There are plenty of places, though, where lane discipline is almost as good in America. Particularly, whenever I exit urban areas and go through the sticks of Wisconsin or Indiana, traffic is always stacked to the right. Only passing occurs on the left, and once you pass your car, you get your ass back in the right lane.
It’s so pleasant driving in these places.
Do European urban areas somehow avoid having left exits and left lane highway splits? As I said above, I believe these things are a major cause of lane discipline breaking down on urban freeways in the US.
Yes, thank you. Pedestrians will also be on either side of the road where there are sidewalks. While I realize that under optimum conditions cars will not be on sidewalks, one of the reasons for having the fast cars away from the pedestrians is for those times that things go wrong.
Hee, “If you don’t like how I drive, GET OFF THE DAMN SIDEWALK!”
This reminds me of one of my pet peeves, bicyclists who ride their bikes on the wrong side of the road. While Pedestrians on a road are required to be in the oncoming side so they can see and avoid cars, bicyclists are required to go with the flow of traffic because they’re often traveling in speeds in excess of ten or twenty miles an hour, and that makes a HUGE difference for reaction time if you’re about to cross paths with a guy in a car doing 40. When I lived in College Station, Texas, it wasn’t uncommon for a guy on a bike to go past me in the wrong direction while I was driving down the road. When I’m doing 40MPH, the bike is effectively there and gone before I have time to realize that there’s a blur in front of me. Had he slipped into my lane, or I into his, for any reason, I’d be peeling him out of my windsheild.
Which brings me to my NEXT pet peeve: People who would use the freaking bicycle lane to pass in that town. It wouldn’t surprise me at all to hear of an accident where a car in the bike lane plowed down a guy riding his bike on the wrong side of the road.
I suppose if they give tickets for going the speed limit, they ARE the outlaw troopers.
But yeah, the law in Oregon (and I think Washington) is you are to never, for any reason, go above the speed limit.
As it was in Saskatchewan as of five years ago. It was drilled into our heads repeatedly by my driver’s education instructor.
I can’t remember a left exit offhand in Europe, but left exits are pretty rare in where I’m from in America. In fact, the only left exits I remember around here in Chicago are a small stretch on 290, and they’re pretty well-known for being a traffic clusterfuck. Doesn’t make a smite of difference, though. People will park themselves in the left lane on the Stevenson (where there is no traffic going in or out of the left lane) at 55 mph. As of 2004, there is law here in Illinois, though not well enforced as far as I know, that states the left lane is for passing.
You jest, but here in Bangkok, the motorcycles really DO take to the sidewalks. The only reason the cars don’t is that there’s just not enough room for them.
College Station, eh? That would make you an Aggie, I suspect? Good school.
In Washington, you may exceed the speed limit when passing, as long as you do it safely and slow down after getting back in the right lane. Of course, I think that only applies on two-lane roads (one in each direction) where getting yourself out of the oncoming lane as soon as possible is the safest course.
I’m sure if a mishap were to occur while you were passing above the speed limit, that “as long as you do it safely” phrase would leave you in violation of the law.
I’ve heard that in the UK, they have motorcycle paramedics. Basically a trained EMT on a cruiser bike loaded down with lifesaving gear. If they get a call somewhere that it’s hard for an ambulance to get to, they send one of these guys to the location, often using sidewalks and stairs and what not, weaving between traffic and pedestrians, etc. so he can stabilize the patient while the guys with the stretcher catch up on foot.
And yeah, went to Texas A&M for 4 years, but ran out of money before I ran out of college, so now I’m attending community college while I wait to ship out for basic training with the Air Force.