Why You Shouldn’t Drive Slowly in the Left Lane

(Note: this video is only aimed at drivers in countries where you drive on the right.) When you drive down an interstate highway, you constantly see signs that say “slower traffic keep right” or “use left lane for passing only.” There’s a reason for this. The narrator of this video apparently had never heard of the rule, which says something about his driving instructor, and also tells us that he does not read signs.  

(YouTube link)

Nevertheless, there will be people who prefer to use the left lane of a four-lane road because the pavement is better. Or they are afraid that the right lane will end. Or they are going the speed limit, and no one should go faster than that. None of those reasons are good for the flow of traffic. Feel free to send this video to someone who needs it. The next lesson: turn signals.  -via reddit 


Thank God someone is paying attention! California freeways are either 12 lanes wide and choked with too many cars or two lanes wide and filled with left-side drivers.
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I want to know, if you use the left lane to pass and are going 85 in a 65 to pass, does that driver get a (speeding) ticket for using the left lane to pass those that are going 65 in the right lane? They didn't bring that up in the video.
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  4 replies
This is not a one size fits all concept, though. The logic works best on uncrowded freeways with long distances between exits that are all on the same side of the road. In denser urban environments that are very crowded and which may have closely spaced exits on either side of the road, it is reasonable that slower drivers may have to position themselves on either the left or right.

Drivers of slower vehicles may be driving that way for a reason, like they have a passenger who has just been through surgery. Similarly, drivers of faster vehicles may also be driving that way for a reason, like there is an emergency where someone's life is in danger. Yes, we our knee jerk reaction will almost always be to assume that the person is a jerk, but if you assume they're doing what they're doing for good reason (which do exist!) you'll have a better experience. Things will still be annoying, but they'll feel less arbitrary or malicious and will start to seem like something where we're all cooperating to make things better.

Which is true! Driving works amazingly well, all things considered. We have a system where many, many vehicles regularly move together gracefully at very high speeds with almost no coordination between the participants. It's incredible that this works at all! Not to mention that providing concessions for slower or faster drivers now means that you, too, will have the right to drive slower or faster when you're in one of those situations yourself.

We're all in it together. Usually. (Admittedly, some people really are just jerks.)
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I like US highways, because people (mainly) are cruising and not rushing.
This way I could drive *with the flow* on the I95 around Boston at 75-80kph with a speed limit of 55 if I remember well.
who cares about going faster or slower 5mph when you can pass police cruiser with a speed 40% over the speed limit and getting no reaction?

Btw, in France if you go over 25mph the speed limit you loose your licence (administrative suspension), and if you go over 31mph, you loose your licence and they retain your car. And get points out of your 12 points licence...
I miss the States :)
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