# What's so wrong about passing on the right? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 18, 2004, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-wrong-about-passing-on-the-right/255717 "2004-07-18T21:01:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 3
**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:** [July 19, 2004, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-wrong-about-passing-on-the-right/255717/41 "2004-07-19T18:01:32Z")
> [@Elenia28](#): > > I had many, many people wait for an opportunity to pass in the right lane even though the\* left lane was completely clear\*. > > I don’t mind people passing me on the right or left. But why are people afraid of the left lane? There’d be no one there for miles and yet Mr. Large SUV\* would always wait until the right lane was clear before passing me on that side. > > Wha? These people may have been concerned about getting nabbed in a radar trap. > [@Mama Zappa](#): > > Here in the DC metro area… > > I’m always amused by the Virginia law that says “pull over if someone behind you wants to pass”. I understand the reasoning (and in fact do my best to do so promptly) but here you are, moving over to facilitate someone else’s wish to break the law. Hah! What did I tell you? Nothing personal, **Mama Zappa** , but I guess people inclined to moralize about other people’s behavior are just drawn to the Nation’s Capital. ---
**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:** [July 19, 2004, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-wrong-about-passing-on-the-right/255717/42 "2004-07-19T21:55:33Z")
In one of the many states where I’ve taken the drivers test, the lanes in a freeway or expressway are considered as independent traffic lanes, and passing on the right is legal. (That’s what passenger side mirrors are for - I always check if I’m moving right.) It has to be that way. Consider your typical rush hour traffic day. Different lanes move at different speeds, and making it so that every car in the middle lane happening to move faster (for the minute) than the cars in the left lane is committing a violation is absurd. In the Bay Area, the number of left lane slowpokes seems to have decreased in the past seven years. Maybe they all got laid off and are no longer commuting. A lot of them seemed to be absolutely petrified of driving - they looked straight ahead with a glassy stare. They’ve been replaced by the cellphone drunks, though. Not all states tolerate left lane slowpokes. One of the highlights of my life is seeing a state trooper pull one of these clowns over when I was living in New Jersey. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2004, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-wrong-about-passing-on-the-right/255717/43 "2004-07-19T23:55:47Z")
OK, here in the Old USofA, that rule is mostly outmoded. It dates from the days of highways being one lane in each direction. So in order to pass, you had to do one or the other of “passing on the right shoulder” or “pass by going into the left oncoming traffic lane”. Dudes were ingrained to “pass only on the left”. Trucks woudl have “\”, etc. It’s still a good idea on that sort of country highway. On a modern multilane freeway, there is no such rule. Pass in any lane. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2004, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-wrong-about-passing-on-the-right/255717/44 "2004-07-20T01:08:34Z")
Here in Washington, they’ve gone so far as to post signs on the left side of the highway (well, actually, on the divider) informing drivers that it is illegal to travel in the left lane. A friend of mine actually got pulled over and ticketed for driving in the left lane on the highway. ---
**Author:** ![Roadfood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9fc348/32.png) [@Roadfood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roadfood)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2004, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-wrong-about-passing-on-the-right/255717/45 "2004-07-20T01:31:44Z")
Since this is GQ, I feel compelled to chime in with another factual answer that passing on the right is explicitly legal in California. From the CVC (full text here [http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d11/vc21754.htm](http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d11/vc21754.htm)): > [@](#): > > 1. The driver of a motor vehicle may overtake and pass to the right of another vehicle only under the following conditions: > > (b) Upon a highway within a business or residence district with unobstructed pavement of sufficient width for two or more lines of moving vehicles in the direction of travel. > > © Upon any highway outside of a business or residence district with unobstructed pavement of sufficient width and clearly marked for two or more lines of moving traffic in the direction of travel. There’s a certain self-fulfillment on both sides of this: If passing on the right is prohibited and the majority of drivers honor that prohibition, then the claim that passing on the right is dangerous because it’s unexpected is valid. But around here, where there is no prohibition and it happens all the time, the claim that it’s dangerous just doesn’t hold water, because it’s not unexpected. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2004, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-wrong-about-passing-on-the-right/255717/46 "2004-07-20T01:32:29Z")
> [@Mama Zappa](#): > > Here in the DC metro area, passing on the right is not only tolerated, but \*\* a genuine necessity [/b] […] You’ll have a car that needs to exit some time soon, and chooses to only go 10-15 miles above the speed limit, so\*\* a car that wants to go 25 mph above the speed limit has no choice \*\* . Maybe I’m being wooshed, but may I point out that going 25 mph above the speed limit isn’t a “genuine necesssity”, and that the driver actually have the choice of respecting the law and _not_ driving at this speed? ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2004, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-wrong-about-passing-on-the-right/255717/47 "2004-07-20T04:08:33Z")
Now, there is a bit of subtlety to this question here in the sticks (Indiana). Often on a state highway, there are two lanes and the person in front of you suddenly wants to turn left (why anyone would want to turn left, I do not know). Here in the Heartland, the cars behind just pass that car, on the right, hoping that there’s a little bump-out of the road to drive on, or going onto the shoulder if not. Now. When we country bumpkins go up to Michigan, we very quickly discover that it is illegal there to cross the white line that demarcates the right edge of the rightmost lane, even if you have a left-turning looney at full stop in front of you. They think they’re so fancy, up there. ---
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2004, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-wrong-about-passing-on-the-right/255717/48 "2004-07-20T21:02:47Z")
> [@Sattua](#): > > Now. When we country bumpkins go up to Michigan, we very quickly discover that it is illegal there to cross the white line that demarcates the right edge of the rightmost lane, even if you have a left-turning looney at full stop in front of you. > > They think they’re so fancy, up there. You’re probably being facetious, like **Mama Zappa** , but if not, it is illegal in all states (most probably) to drive on the shoulder except in an emergency. SC law: > [@](#): > > SECTION 56-5-460. Roadway. > > A “roadway” is that portion of a highway improved, designed or ordinarily used for vehicular travel, exclusive of the shoulder or berm. Hence, when you drive on the shoulder, you are not driving on the roadway which is illegal, except in an emergency. ---
**Author:** ![DMC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dmc/32/18049_2.png) [@DMC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMC)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2004, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-wrong-about-passing-on-the-right/255717/49 "2004-08-17T18:48:44Z")
```auto | | | | | | | | |A| |B| |C| |D| | | | | | | | | ``` If people stayed to the right, you wouldn’t have the problem on busy highways illustrated above. In the above scenario, if cars C and D both want to pass at the same time, you have a problem. This scenario plays itself out **quite** often in any decent sized city I’ve lived in. If D can safely assume that C will not pass on the right, you have no issues. Of course, if everyone followed the law, A and C would not be there in the first place to cause this problem. I lived in Germany for 10 years, and felt much safer on the Autobahn at 100 mph than I do here at 55 on many highways. Slow traffic staying right, along with no passing on the right, were major contributors to that feeling of safety. I get the impression that many drivers here feel somehow less worthy when being passed or want to force others to go a certain speed, and actually stay in someone’s way on purpose. I never got that impression in Germany, even though they flash their lights at people to tell them they are closing in and want to pass. Perhaps not having a speed limit at all has something to do with this impression. ---
**Author:** ![olefin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/d78d45/32.png) [@olefin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/olefin)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2004, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-wrong-about-passing-on-the-right/255717/50 "2004-08-17T21:53:03Z")
> [@Sattua](#): > > Often on a state highway, there are two lanes and the person in front of you suddenly wants to turn left (why anyone would want to turn left, I do not know). . > even if you have a left-turning looney at full stop in front of you. Looney? I think you are calling the wrong person looney. What if the person lives on the left side of the road! Very common for people to turn left on a two lane road in all the states I have been in which is probably over half. People just come to a stop until the person makes the turn. Passing on the right on the shoulder is against the law and common sense. ---
**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:** [August 18, 2004, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-wrong-about-passing-on-the-right/255717/51 "2004-08-18T00:15:18Z")
The example of | A | | B | | C | | D | direction of travel is up (sorry for that graphic, pretend there’s three lanes of traffic, the middle one is clear) is covered by law, at least in Minnesota. If both cars C and D (or A and B) decide to move into the middle lane, the car to the left has the right of way, because C has poorer visibility. Car D would be ticketed for a moving violation. ---
**Author:** ![DMC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dmc/32/18049_2.png) [@DMC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMC)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2004, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-wrong-about-passing-on-the-right/255717/52 "2004-08-18T00:38:50Z")
Disregarding the question of who has the right of way legally, as the question was what is wrong with passing on the right, that’s a situation that can be completely avoided by having people stay right when slow, and only passing on the left. I probably have a near miss like the above once a week or so. I look over, they’re not moving. They’re looking over at the same time and I’m not moving yet, so both think they’re clear. I have caught it every time before we hit each other at 55 mph, but if I didn’t, we’d be in trouble. ---
**Author:** ![Spezza](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a698b9/32.png) [@Spezza](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spezza)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2004, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-wrong-about-passing-on-the-right/255717/53 "2004-08-18T01:28:10Z")
I drive quite regularly on the 401 in Ontario; along possibly the heaviest section between Waterloo and Toronto. People who drive in the left lane, unaware of the situation, and believing that because they are doing the speed limit or speeding are entitled to drive their entire journey in the left lane. They cause traffic congestion and road rage. I have a policy of passing these people, then slowly braking in front of them, forcing them to change lanes or deal with me poking along in front of them. This is only for the most obvious ‘left lane bandits.’ ---
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2004, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-wrong-about-passing-on-the-right/255717/54 "2004-08-18T08:27:37Z")
I was told by a cop that they NEVER pass on the right because they don’t want to get forced off the road by a driver who suddenly tries to get out of their way. I think the same thing applies here. If the person being passed tries to get out of your way, which way is he going to go? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-wrong-about-passing-on-the-right/255717.md?page=2)