# Why do some drivers do this in passing lanes? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 26, 2019, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-drivers-do-this-in-passing-lanes/831567 "2019-03-26T16:55:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![overlyverbose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9dc877/32.png) [@overlyverbose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/overlyverbose)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2019, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-drivers-do-this-in-passing-lanes/831567/41 "2019-03-27T15:21:37Z")
Agree with the other posters that speeding up just so someone can’t get in front of you then slowing down when they lose that option is a dick move. I think the people who do this are the same assholes that think signaling a lane change = hovering next to the person you’re passing and glaring at them when they don’t suddenly slow down so you can get in front of them. Because obviously staring at someone instead of the road, then giving your fellow drivers the finger when they’re watching the road and thus not aware you’d like to move over, is a great substitute for a signal. Not that I’m bitter or anything. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2019, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-drivers-do-this-in-passing-lanes/831567/42 "2019-03-27T15:47:27Z")
> [@Corry\_El](#): > > Thinking about it I can recall driving some generally flat 2 lane highways for long distances without seeing many, like US 2 from the UP of Michigan till you get to the Rockies in western Montana, that’s a looong fairly important 2 lane road without a lot of those three lane sections if any. But US 2 is four lanes from Bemiji to Williston. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2019, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-drivers-do-this-in-passing-lanes/831567/43 "2019-03-27T16:32:08Z")
> [@nate](#): > > … I always let off the gas when someone is passing me on a two-lane road. I figure it’s much safer for both of us that way. Absolutely. Where I live, it’s not unusual to see drivers pass _ **even when that means forcing on-coming traffic onto the shoulder!** _ I slow down when being passed as much for my own safety as for courtesy. **Poll question: Do other Dopers slow down when being passed?** I asked two fellow ex-pats if they slow down; both said “No, of course not” and looked at me as if I were nuts. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2019, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-drivers-do-this-in-passing-lanes/831567/44 "2019-03-27T16:41:29Z")
Because they are FUCKING ASSHOLES and IDIOTS! ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2019, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-drivers-do-this-in-passing-lanes/831567/45 "2019-03-27T16:43:38Z")
What pisses me off is when there is a passing lane on a grade and I want to pass that one slow guy, but the guy in front of me uses the entire passing lane to crawl past him, leaving me stuck waiting for another opportunity. As has been said before, shit or get off the pot (this also applies to freeway entrances: get on the freeway like you mean it). ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2019, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-drivers-do-this-in-passing-lanes/831567/46 "2019-03-27T17:27:11Z")
> [@Dallas\_Jones](#): > > Passing on the right on a multi-lane road is not illegal as some people think. It absolutely is, which is why it’s also illegal to dawdle in the left lane. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2019, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-drivers-do-this-in-passing-lanes/831567/47 "2019-03-27T17:32:25Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > Absolutely. Where I live, it’s not unusual to see drivers pass _ **even when that means forcing on-coming traffic onto the shoulder!** _ I slow down when being passed as much for my own safety as for courtesy. > > **Poll question: Do other Dopers slow down when being passed?** I asked two fellow ex-pats if they slow down; both said “No, of course not” and looked at me as if I were nuts. :smack: If it looks like it’s gonna be close, sure I slow down. It’s my ass too. What REALLY bugs me is they way most passing lanes are laid out in Colorado. They could easily fix this with different stripping and signage. When an extra lane is added, you are supposed to move to the right so people can pass. Or pass on the left. So far, so good. But, when it’s time for the lane to go away, the people in the right/slow lane have to merge left. This is wrong. The people passing should have to move to the right. It’s up to them to determine if they can pass in the room/time allotted. What happens is you get some dill weed that will not move to the right and passes you at .01 mph faster then you are going, effectively trapping you when the passing lane ends. ---
**Author:** ![Emcee\_1980](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b38774/32.png) [@Emcee\_1980](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emcee_1980)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2019, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-drivers-do-this-in-passing-lanes/831567/48 "2019-03-27T17:37:00Z")
> [@nate](#): > > A lot of people can’t stand to be passed and they don’t mind putting the passer in a life-threatening situation. “People” is putting those assholes nicely. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2019, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-drivers-do-this-in-passing-lanes/831567/49 "2019-03-27T17:39:49Z")
> [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > I spent 12 years driving big rigs. I came to the conclusion that many drivers believe that if they allow a vehicle to drive in front of them without passing it, their penises will grow smaller. On the other hand, I can’t count the number of times I’ve had a semi pull into my lane to pass another semi, except that they don’t, and they just drive alongside each other for several miles, blocking everything behind them until one or the other speeds up or slows down enough for the truck to get back over. In other words there’s inconsiderate jerks on both sides. > [@digs](#): > > Why can’t we have cops pull people over, stamp “Inconsiderate Driver” on their licenses, schedule them for 100 hours of highway cleanup, and warn them that the next time they ignore the wishes of everyone else on the road their car will be impounded. > > If the police won’t do that, I’m willing to organize a citizen’s group to impersonate them and “Terrorize the Inconsiderate!” (our war cry). In that case, we also stencil “Caution! I Am An Asshole Driver!” on the cars. > > ETA: HA! [This just happened to get posted](https://imgur.com/gallery/Nmvy9sA) two minutes ago! I forget who the comedian was, I’m thinking George Carlin but it might have been Gallagher, or maybe neither, who suggested that drivers keep a suction cup dart gun in their car and shoot darts at inconsiderate drivers. When they accumulate enough suction cup darts on their car, a cop can pull them over and give them a ticket for being an asshole. (I have often thought of doing this, except with a paintball gun instead of darts. :D) ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2019, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-drivers-do-this-in-passing-lanes/831567/50 "2019-03-27T18:03:51Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > On the other hand, I can’t count the number of times I’ve had a semi pull into my lane to pass another semi, except that they don’t, and they just drive alongside each other for several miles, blocking everything behind them until one or the other speeds up or slows down enough for the truck to get back over. In other words there’s inconsiderate jerks on both sides. There is a reason this happens. A semi behind another semi is drafting. Once the semi pulls out to pass, it loses the draft and has to fight the drag in order to accelerate enough to get past the one that was in front. Personally, I think semis should be banned from using the left lane. ---
**Author:** ![SingleMalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/singlemalt/32/3961_2.png) [@SingleMalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SingleMalt)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2019, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-drivers-do-this-in-passing-lanes/831567/51 "2019-03-27T18:21:18Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > It absolutely is, which is why it’s also illegal to dawdle in the left lane. If there are two lanes traveling in the same direction, you can absolutely pass on the right. The restrictions on “passing on the right” are aimed at people who will try to do inherently stupid stuff like passing slower traffic in the bike lane. For instance, from California: California Vehicle Code Section 21754 provides that a driver may overtake and pass to the right of another vehicle only under the following conditions: When the vehicle you are passing is making or about to make a left turn. On a highway in a business or residence district with unobstructed pavement sufficiently wide for two or more lines of moving vehicles in the direction of travel. On 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. On a one-way street. On a highway divided into two roadways where traffic is restricted to one direction upon each of such roadways. The code also states that the above provisions “do not relieve the driver of a slow-moving vehicle from the duty to drive as closely as practicable to the right hand edge of the roadway.” The law is pretty much the same here in Colorado. I can’t speak to all 50 states, so if there is a traffic law somewhere that says you can’t pass a vehicle from the right-hand lane of a multi-lane highway, I’d be interested in seeing (if only so I’m aware if I ever drive through that jurisdiction). ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2019, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-drivers-do-this-in-passing-lanes/831567/52 "2019-03-27T18:40:05Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > It absolutely is, which is why it’s also illegal to dawdle in the left lane. No. You are wrong. Oregon law quoted. Passing on the right with two or more lanes of travel in the same direction is legal. The ‘no passing on the right’ is to prevent unsafe passing where there are not two clearly marked lanes of travel in the same direction, like using the shoulder or a bike lane. Hall Monitors who try to regulate traffic by camping out in the left lane are often surprised to learn that what they are doing is illegal and that passing them on the right is just fine. > [@](#): > > (b) > Overtaking and passing upon the right is permitted if the overtaken vehicle is proceeding along a roadway in the left lane of two or more clearly marked lanes allocated exclusively to vehicular traffic moving in the same direction as the overtaking driver > **[ORS 811.415 – Unsafe passing on right](https://oregon.public.law/statutes/ors_811.415)** > > A person commits the offense of unsafe passing on the right if the person, (a) Drives a vehicle to overtake and pass… ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2019, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-drivers-do-this-in-passing-lanes/831567/53 "2019-03-28T04:01:59Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > **Poll question: Do other Dopers slow down when being passed?** I asked two fellow ex-pats if they slow down; both said “No, of course not” and looked at me as if I were nuts. :smack: I absolutely do. I drive pretty swiftly and get out of the passing lane as soon as I can, so if I find you on my bumper when I’m passing someone there’s either someone preventing me from passing the traffic on the right, or you’re going quite quickly. So, if you’re on my bumper and I can get over to the right, I absolutely do. When I do so, I’m willing to drop 2-3 mph to allow those who were actually wanting to pass me to get by and be done with it. In return, I have no sympathy if they don’t pass me pretty promptly. If we start approaching the traffic in front of me that’s going more slowly than we are and they’re still hanging around my back bumper, I’ll go ahead and speed back up to get room to pass them safely, and maintain my speed the next time I move back out of the passing lane. At that point, I’m not going to assist you at boxing me in. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2019, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-drivers-do-this-in-passing-lanes/831567/54 "2019-03-28T11:28:07Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > **Poll question: Do other Dopers slow down when being passed?** I asked two fellow ex-pats if they slow down; both said “No, of course not” and looked at me as if I were nuts. :smack: It depends what and how I’m driving. If I’m in my car and already going 65mph in a 55mph zone, then I don’t slow down, unless the situation becomes emergent. If I’m driving a large RV puttering along at 50 to 55 mph, I will slow down if there’s not a trail of cars behind me, because I won’t inconvenience them even more just to let someone pass, else I’ll slow down a bit. If there is a trail of cars, though, I’ll usually wait for a pullout, and then give them a chance. I did this a _lot_ in New Zealand, where winding roads didn’t offer anyone a chance to pass, otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2019, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-drivers-do-this-in-passing-lanes/831567/55 "2019-03-28T12:41:09Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > In return, I have no sympathy if they don’t pass me pretty promptly. If we start approaching the traffic in front of me that’s going more slowly than we are and they’re still hanging around my back bumper, I’ll go ahead and speed back up to get room to pass them safely, and maintain my speed the next time I move back out of the passing lane. At that point, I’m not going to assist you at boxing me in. Then you get the drivers who hang back from passing when they could have when they realize they are about to cut you off, but when you move back in front of them they close the gap and tailgate you. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2019, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-drivers-do-this-in-passing-lanes/831567/56 "2019-03-28T12:54:34Z")
They feel more confident on a wider road, so they go faster just when you would have a chance to pass them, and then they slow down again just in time so you can’t. A correlation is people driving slowly in the left lane on an interstate highway. They go slow as they are passing cars, so it takes them five minutes to pass a car. Then, once they are in the clear, they feel relaxed and speed up again. It’s irritating as hell. ---
**Author:** ![Sterling\_Archer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Sterling\_Archer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sterling_Archer)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2019, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-drivers-do-this-in-passing-lanes/831567/57 "2019-03-28T13:24:21Z")
I don’t think it’s the wider road at all. I think there are two competing preferences here. 1. I prefer to drive at a “safe, comfortable” speed of 55 mph 2. I prefer not to get passed by faster traffic. Mainly, I just don’t like when others benefit by breaking the law. So when people are stuck behind them, #1 is the course of action, but when passing becomes possible, #2 actually becomes the higher priority. I also find this behavior disgusting btw. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2019, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-drivers-do-this-in-passing-lanes/831567/58 "2019-03-28T13:40:59Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > Then you get the drivers who hang back from passing when they could have when they realize they are about to cut you off, but when you move back in front of them they close the gap and tailgate you. Well, they may try to tailgate me, but I’m already moving faster than they are when I get back over, so they have to work to do that. I don’t slow down again to let them tailgate me, and since they don’t keep going fast when I drop out of the passing lane, I leave them behind even more when I get back out of the passing lane at my next chance. The other option would be to sit near this idiot who doesn’t know how to pass and get out of the passing lane. Not passing them and almost guarantees that will happen. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2019, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-drivers-do-this-in-passing-lanes/831567/59 "2019-03-28T13:56:24Z")
I’d do that too if I weren’t already going at my maximum acceptable speed most of the time. I only do that when there is a _pack_ of cars that are _all_ doing that to me at the same time on the interstate, and it is an otherwise empty road, and I have both slowed down and sped up several times in a vain attempt to shake them. Then I speed up to 95 or so and don’t slow down until I approach the next pack of cars (because at that point there is always a large gap ahead, formed from when I slowed down to 60 and the other cars slowed down with me for who knows what reason.) ---
**Author:** ![nate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nate/32/13085_2.png) [@nate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nate)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2019, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-drivers-do-this-in-passing-lanes/831567/60 "2019-03-28T14:47:06Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > There is a reason this happens. A semi behind another semi is drafting. Once the semi pulls out to pass, it loses the draft and has to fight the drag in order to accelerate enough to get past the one that was in front. Personally, I think semis should be banned from using the left lane. This, but also some semis have speed limiters or recorders and can only reach a certain speed. Either the truck can’t physically go that fast due to the limiter or the driver will be fined by their employer if the recording shows them going over a certain speed. So they may be limited to 65 mph, and the non-limited truck they are passing is moving at 60-70 mph so they shimmy back and forth until the limited truck falls back or the variable speed truck lets them over. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-drivers-do-this-in-passing-lanes/831567.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-drivers-do-this-in-passing-lanes/831567.md?page=4)