I don’t know why that link’s not working; here’s the thread: Why no campaign in U.S. for slow drivers to stay to the right?
I love this–great name for these people. I’ve got to add this term to my vocabulary.
The guy’s name was Nestor, and the tactic became know in the DC area as Nestoring. He asserted (in letters to the editor and on radio shows, IIRC) that he had the right to travel at the speed limit in whatever lane he wanted, that people who wanted to pass him were trying to break the law, and he didn’t have to help them do that. Most people around here thought he was a self-righteous prick.
Unfortunately, the had (and still has) a lot of company. I am ashamed on say that many of my fellow residents of the MD/DC/VA area are prone to this attitude, so much so that, as other posters have said, passing on the right is quite common and not very surprising. You can buy bumper stickers that say, “If I pass you on the right, you’re in the wrong lane.” But they don’t seem to have much effect.
In my travels, I have been pleased to note that in other areas people are more prone to keep to the right.
As to the legality of passing on the right, I remember a driving test many moons ago.
The question was (as best I remember): You’re on a 4-lane divided highway. You’re in the right lane. There is a vehicle in the left lane ahead of you. May you pass it on the right? [It was accompanied by an illustration showing an unbroken road with the two vehicles.]
Being a well-informed young man, I knew there was a new state law making it illegal to travel in the left lane (or any lane other than the right lane) at less than the speed limit. Since it was also illegal to travel faster than the speed limit, I just made the simple assumption that the other vehicle was obeying the law (i.e., traveling at the speed limit, no faster [illegal] and no slower [also illegal in that lane]). The only logical conclusion was: you may not pass on the right in this situation because you would have to break the speed limit to do so.
The examiner was not impressed. He insisted the point was that it was not illegal to pass on the right per se, so my answer was wrong, wrong, wrong! :rolleyes:
(I passed the test anyway…)
No one’s mentioned the point that, in a vehicle with the driver’s side on the left, it’s generally harder to see cars to your right. If you need to pull over for any reason (like, say, realizing you’re holding up traffic for miles because you’re just cruising along in the freakin’ left lane), you might not see the person who’s just starting to pass you on the right. Also, if you have an emergency and need to pull off, people passing you on the right could block you.
Florida doesn’t have a “no overtaking on the right” law, although most major motorways have signs to the effect that if you’re slow you should get the hell outta the way.
It shows; if I want to get anywhere, I have to jink between lanes like some boy-racer trying to impress his skanky girlfriend with his Civic Highway Skills ™ Package.
It’s probably just me, but can someone define exactly what is meant by “passing on the right”? I’m never sure if it means that the car in the right lane is traveling faster than the one in the left lane, but stays in the right lane, or if it includes something that happens to me fairly often- I’m driving along in a middle lane, at or even slightly above the speed limit, someone comes up on my right significantly above the speed limit and then moves into my lane.
And AFAIK, the only place where I have driven and it’s legal to pass on the left and the right is the Boulevard Périphérique which is a ring road around Paris.
Nothing worse that travelling on that road at 60mph+ and have people pass you at both sides at once 
To the OP:
I suspect that your companions discomfort stems from the difference between highway rules between the two countries. Since the US has a speed limit that is enforced (often with great zeal) traffic is not usually moving too much faster than the speed limit (or each other). On the autobahn where vehicles may travel as fast as they are able, there may be wide speed differences between cars. If a Porsche GT comes racing by in the right lane and a VW beetle changes lanes from the middle to make their exit, the expectation of a car not speeding by in that lane can cause serious consequences. This is one reason that it is ingrained in the German driving psyche. In the US, since traffic is (more or less) moving at the same rate, passing on the right (when it is safe to do so) does not pose as much risk.
[opinion]
I usually drive in the right hand lane. Other traffic may not be driving as fast as I am, but I am not weaving all over the road trying to get around people. I find that traffic entering the highway tends to immediately move over to the middle or fast lane anyway and the lane is often clear for me. If a slow vehicle is in the right lane, I will pass them by safely moving to the centre lane and back to the right lane after I have passed.
I recall a lesson from my driving class that the centre lane is not as safe as the outside lanes since there may not be a safe ‘escape route’ in case of an emergency (like the flying truck wheels of a couple of years ago).
[/opinion]
Around the metro area where I live, most interstates are 6 lanes (3 lanes each way). The majority of drivers drive in the middle lane, avoiding the right lane so that they don’t have to worry about cars merging in, and avoiding the left lane so that faster cars can overtake. This includes trucks, which theoretically have a 55 mph limit, but which in practice drive at much the same spped as the cars with a 65 mph limit. So, when the road gets moderately busy, and there are several cars passing on the left, it can often happen that the right lane is the one that easiest to pass in. (And I have frequently passed in the right hand lane).
There are actually good reasons for cruising in the left lane. In California (where it’s perfectly okay) I would occasionally use the 5 through downtown (but only if I had to). This is a major truck route, and the right lane is heavily rutted. Riding a motorcycle, especially, in that lane is dangerous for that reason.
Up here in Washignton, I think there is a law that prohibits using the left lane except when passing. For the most part beople stay to the right, except in metropolitan areas where there are too many cars not to use all available lanes. The 5 (or “I5”, as the call it up here) is, of course, a major truck route. The right lane is not nearly as bad as the 5 south of downtown L.A., but it is a bit bumpy. I have no problem with it in the Jeep, but it’s a little jarring on the motorcycle. So I cruise in the left lane when the right lane is too damaged by the heavy vehicles.
Now here’s the important bit: I’m not a “Left Seat Zombie”. I pay attention when I’m driving or riding. If I’m in the left lane and about to be overtaken, I’ll move to the right to get out of the way (traffic permitting). As long as slower traffic moves right to allow faster traffic to pass, I see nothing wrong with keeping left.
As to passing on the right, it’s usually the only option when faced with someone who has appointed himself Pace Car. People up here tend to drive 5 mph under the speed limit. (So do I, in the Jeep, to save fuel.) Lots of the stereotypical oldsters driving around. You pass on the right, or you follow the Pace Car. The most difficult thing for me is that I’ve got over 100,000 miles of L.A. motorcyle riding, and I’ve been sorely tempted to split lanes in some situations. One thing driving and riding up here has taught me (or is trying to teach me) is patience.
Speaking as a cyclist, passing on the left is mandatory. In every ride I’ve participated, the event coordinators have always made it perfectly clear that passing on the right is cause for removal from the event.
Cyclists have very short reaction times and often must rely on a quick glimpse over the left shoulder to get the “all clear”. Also, if you pass me (correctly) on the left, I will probably steer to the right a bit to give your some room. If some other cyclist has chosen that moment to pass me on the right, I will collide with them.
These rules seemed like such a good idea, I am surprised to learn that not all states require motor vehicles to do the same.
Both of your examples are “passing on the right.” The first example is caused by an idiot* in the left lane who shouldn’t be there. The second example is caused by a maniac* in the far right lane who should be passing you on the left.
*Note: definitions paraphrased from George Carlin. “Idiot” is defined as anyone driving slower than me; “maniac” is defined as anyone driving faster than me.
I can only confirm that. Here it is the ultimate taboo of traffic behaviour. It is completely illegal and guarantees at least a fine or you might lose your licence. Although it is certainly not that dangerous when people are used to it, it might be deadly here because nobody expects it. Not to mention that you are in serious trouble if you are involved in any kind of accident this way.
Many other things like speeding are tolerated among drivers and people just try to avoid fines, but if you want to get beaten up at the next gas station, passing on the right is a good starting point.
Yeah I drove up and down the Northway (NY) from Exit 7 to Exit 19 and back on Saturday. I drove about 70-75 (speed limit is 65) all the way.
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?
(It was always the SUVs. The sporty ones would zoom by on whichever side they could. )
For the people who maintain that passing on the right is always wrong, here’s a situation that I frequently find myself in, so please tell me if you consider this dangerous/illegal/wrong:
On a freeway with three lanes each direction, I’ll be in the right lane (I have an upcoming exit in the next mile or so), going 65 mph. In the center lane, just to my left, is a car moving at 60 mph. What should I do? Slow down so that I’m going no faster than he is? Move over two lanes to pass, then back across two lanes when it’s time to exit?
What I will do is just maintain my speed of 65, and pass him. Are people here horrified by this?
[neither here nor there]
Funny you should use this as an example. A Filipino friend once intimated to me that “red lights optional” was exactly the prevailing rule on Manila roads.
[/neither here nor there]
Absolutely agree with you. I’ve only driven interstates in the American Deep South (Lousiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida), and passing on the right is common down here, too, for a variety of reasons.
Well, I disagree. About 50% of the autobahns in Germany do have a speed limit, and all of the regional highways do, yet the behavior is the same: drive right, pass left. Everywhere else in Europe they do have a speed limit and people still follow the rule. So I don’t think it has anything to do with the vast differences in speed.
Passing on the right drives me nuts.
And, if you think the speed
Here in the DC metro area, passing on the right is not only tolerated, but a genuine necessity due to the widespread use of left exits from the Beltway. 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.
Anyway, I think it’s so commonplace that people don’t think twice about it, one way or the other.
Theoretically, I think POTR is illegal on the Maryland side of things but I’m sure it’s not enforced.
And if you think left exits are bad, try left entrances, in which you have to merge from a ramp into traffic going 80 miles an hour. Great fun.
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. I usually take the attitude that I’m glad the person is getting farther away from me by the minute