Attn. Left lane hogs!

Usually when I pass on the right, they get the idea and move over. Around here though, traffic is definition light.

I don't like left lane hogs much, either.

But I also don't like people screaming up from behind me, tail gating, and attempting to pass on my right, when there are 20 cars in front of me.

And I would ask you to also do the calculations based on distance and speed- how much time do you really save? I've realized that 70 in the middle lane costs me just a couple of min, and saves a lot of aggrivation over a 35 mile commute.

It's one thing to blast down an empty highway for fun. It's another to attempt to blast down a full freeway.

So please note that there are two sides.

Hocrest wrote: In moderate to heavy traffic, passing on the right will prevent the slow pokes on the left from getting out of the way and continuing the problem.

If the traffic is light enough for me to move to the right and pass, there's been plenty of room for the other person to move to the right as well.

Left lane hogs don't ever move to the right to get out of the way. That's why they're called left lane hogs.

i had a suite of morons ruining my commute this morning, all working in concert to irritate the crap out of me.

first was guy in a corrola with the plate in the rear window since the car had been hit from behind, tearing out the mounts. this guy was following something like 8 carlengths behind the car in front of him, while driving 5 under the limit, which is about 15 under what people tend to drive on this road, at this time of day. the speed difference is such that i can't safely change lanes to get around him on the left, due to traffic passing. then he's got another car doing the exact same thing in the next lane over.

i've noticed that stuff like this seems to trend on certain days. some days, everyone on the road is obviously in no hurry to get home, and stare at the light for 2-3 seconds when it turns green, like they don't trust that its actually changed. on those days, it takes at least an extra 5-10 minutes on a normally 20 minute drive home because i end up sitting through several lights more than once

anyone else notice that people are almost just "checked out" on certain days?

The only time I pass on the highway is on my 165 mile trip home. I tend to go 75-80. Most go 60. The speed limit is 65. Right outside my destination the limit kicks up to 75. Cops never look twice at me, and it's rare to even see one on the 2+ hour drive.

2.75 hours at 60
2.06 hours at 80

You can get a lot done in 42 minutes.

failboat wrote:

MG Bryan wrote:

neon4891 wrote: This begs the question, who is the bigger shiny happy person, the guy going slow in the left lane, or me for passing him on the right?

The guy passing him on the right.

Ok, I'll bite. Why? In my state, its not illegal to hog the left lane. It's also not illegal to pass on the right. I really don't get why some folks get so bent out of shape about it. There's a lane available, I'll use it to go around you because you are going slow, and it makes me the dick? Right.

I'm not saying it's always wrong. It's just not a great habit to form. Sure there are instances where you have to pass on the right.

In that case that someone is camping out in the left lane and actually going slower than the flow of traffic, you should be able to judge that speed differential and not move left in the first place.

If you're exceeding the speed of traffic in the right lane by such a margin that you need to pass someone who is doing the same, but by a lesser margin, you're just driving like a dick.

I've often been guilty of driving like a dick. I won't deny that. It doesn't make it any less inappropriate. I've also been passed on the right, while towing, having just overtaken a semi. Which is to that that because I was doing 80 instead of 90, some asshat jumped in my blindspot and forced me to stay in the left lane longer.

The right lanes get torn up by big trucks, so the fast lane is smoother, thus attracting older folk. I hit some bumps on I65 in dad truck a few times that I swore I caught air.

IIRC, CA law is that it's not illegal to pass on the right, but it IS illegal to be passed on the right. Not that that's enforced... ever.

I use the right lane for passing only, though I admit I will hog it a tiny bit if I'm between semis and moving back to the left will get me blocked behind the upcoming truck.

When I'm Emperor of the Known Universe, anyone in the (EDIT!) left lane not actively passing a slower moving vehicle will be issued a fine equivalent to speeding at double the posted limit. I'm also enforcing "slower traffic use turnouts"; if you don't pull over at a marked turnout to let cars behind you by, it'll count as reckless driving.

^ mild dyslexia?

foxtrapper wrote: There's a lane available, I'll use it to go around you because you are going slow, and it makes me the dick? Right.

If you pass someone on the right, the person in the left lane did something wrong. They shouldn't have been in that lane if there was faster traffic trying to pass.

The left lane is not a through lane - it is a passing lane - and FINALLY Ohio is planning on turning this into law. I'll be curious to see how they reconcile this with urban areas with left-side exits.

There are a lot of dumb arguments people use to justify their horrible driving etiquette. I won't go into them here.

Taiden wrote: ^ mild dyslexia?

Might be one of those ferriners that drive on the wrong side

foxtrapper wrote: Left lane hogs don't ever move to the right to get out of the way. That's why they're called left lane hogs.

The one this morning in a SAAB 900 Turbo changed across four lanes and parked at 55mph in the left lane, immediately after entering the highway.

They just don't realize that they are doing anything wrong. The alternative is that they know that they are doing something wrong and are deliberately holding up traffic because they hate people. The former is ignorance, the latter could be classified as terrorism.

Wish I was in the fun car.

Knurled wrote:

foxtrapper wrote: There's a lane available, I'll use it to go around you because you are going slow, and it makes me the dick? Right.

If you pass someone on the right, the person in the *left lane* did something wrong. They shouldn't have been in that lane if there was faster traffic trying to pass. The left lane is not a through lane - it is a passing lane - and FINALLY Ohio is planning on turning this into law. I'll be curious to see how they reconcile this with urban areas with left-side exits. There are a lot of dumb arguments people use to justify their horrible driving etiquette. I won't go into them here.

What if car A is in the left lane passing a truck, along with 3-4 other cars. Should you pass the 1 or 2 that have not yet passed the truck?

Especially if they are doing 5 mph above the limit, and the truck they are passing is doing 2-3 under.

This happens multiple times on my drive home every day. I don't see any reason why I should let someone in to pass, when I'm IN the process of passing, and can't go faster since there's traffic in front of me.

Even worse is when I'm in the middle lane, slowly coming up on someone in the right, open left lane, and the moron behind me thinks it's better to pass on the obstructed right vs. the open left.

In reply to Knurled:

Flip open phone. Dial 911. Report erratic, possibly drunk driver with lic plate xxx holding up traffic.

Whether they know it was wrong or not... they will now.

alfadriver wrote: What if car A is in the left lane passing a truck, along with 3-4 other cars. Should you pass the 1 or 2 that have not yet passed the truck? Especially if they are doing 5 mph above the limit, and the truck they are passing is doing 2-3 under.

I don't understand the scenario, exactly, but I'll say this: I don't care if you're going 100mph over the limit, keep right except to pass.

This happens multiple times on my drive home every day. I don't see any reason why I should let someone in to pass, when I'm IN the process of passing, and can't go faster since there's traffic in front of me.

Ah, okay, so you're stuck in a conga line behind someone who is "passing". Once the line gets more than four deep, lethal force on the doofus in the front car should be authorized Especially if they just sit there.

Another thing - people who drive the SAME SPEED as the person in the next lane. Especially when they drive right next to someone else. Way to make for an unsafe situation, there.

the cops need to start tickiting the cars that are going to slow that civic should have goten the same tickit as he would have givin me for speeding

Hungary Bill wrote: I passed someone on the right yesterday (I'm in Mississippi at the moment) and I still feel "dirty".

We do have our share here. At least you don't have to worry about tractors on the interstate.

In reply to Knurled:

I AM passing. And I am going over the limit, just like everone else in front of me. AND we are actually passing.

If you want to go 5mph faster, tough. I'm not letting you in.

IMHO, those A-holes are worse than the ones holding people up. There's traffic, weaving does no good. I love it when I can pass a weaver 3 or 4 times on the way home.

Strizzo wrote: i had a suite of morons ruining my commute this morning, all working in concert to irritate the crap out of me. first was guy in a corrola with the plate in the rear window since the car had been hit from behind, tearing out the mounts. this guy was following something like 8 carlengths behind the car in front of him, while driving 5 under the limit, which is about 15 under what people tend to drive on this road, at this time of day. the speed difference is such that i can't safely change lanes to get around him on the left, due to traffic passing. then he's got another car doing the exact same thing in the next lane over.

This happens to me CONSTANTLY.

And then of-berkeleying-course everyone coming up behind me swings into the next lane over at the last second, leaving no space for me to get over until 20 minutes later when everyone on that 10 mile stretch of highway has passed me and Mr. Oblivious.

Which is usually when my exit comes.

MG Bryan wrote: I'm not saying it's always wrong. It's just not a great habit to form. Sure there are instances where you have to pass on the right. In that case that someone is camping out in the left lane and actually going slower than the flow of traffic, you should be able to judge that speed differential and not move left in the first place. If you're exceeding the speed of traffic in the right lane by such a margin that you need to pass someone who is doing the same, but by a lesser margin, you're just driving like a dick. I've often been guilty of driving like a dick. I won't deny that. It doesn't make it any less inappropriate. I've also been passed on the right, while towing, having just overtaken a semi. Which is to that that because I was doing 80 instead of 90, some asshat jumped in my blindspot and forced me to stay in the left lane longer.

Well put, I agree with you 100%, carry on.

I get why passing on the right can be considered unsafe, mostly because you are harder to see in certain situations, but within reason I see nothing wrong with passing on the right.

I just remember the what they keep saying at the local autocross, "Every car here is trying to kill you!" and then I drive accordingly.

In reply to Taiden: Argh, yes. After talking about the right lane passing I had "right lane" on the brain. It hath been edited.

As a kid I had issues with relative directions like right/left, and some of it still sticks around (it's why I hate when people refer to sides of a car by right/left instead of driver-side/passenger-side).

ReverendDexter wrote: (it's why I hate when people refer to sides of a car by right/left instead of driver-side/passenger-side).

What about British cars (or other right-hand drive cars)? That is the reason the auto industry uses left & right sides, it's the same no matter what side the steering wheel is on.

Back on topic, Georgia has its share of left lane rangers, and not just on the interstate. Worst offenders are in passing zones, they deserve a slow and painful death.

My parents always rallied with bass clef and treble clef to eliminate all those pesky left and right problems.

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote: In reply to Knurled: Flip open phone. Dial 911. Report erratic, possibly drunk driver with lic plate xxx holding up traffic. Whether they know it was wrong or not... they will now.

I've done it. To my amusement they were pulled over outside my window at Dennie's. How entertaining.

Needs moar taser.