The Left Passing Lane

this is my 3,000th post! woo-hoo!!


so do u get annoyed by unlawful drivers that impede the left lane on the freeways aka the passing lane? unless your state or local law states otherwise, these are not traveling lanes. you're supposed to get in, speed up, pass and get out. so what are these slow driving lane hogs doing driving in the left passing lane? i always think these drivers are trying to make somekind of statement lol. furthermore it's not really safe to impede the passing lane.


one cool thing about the passing lane is that many places allow u to drive beyond the speed limit in order to pass another slow moving vehicle in front of u. for example, here in Washington state, RCW 46.61.425 states that we "may exceed the speed limit" to pass a vehicle driving less than the legal maximum speed limit. on the freeway, i can hit 80 mph or more before i can safely pass the slower vehicle.


anyway what do u think about drivers traveling in the left passing lane? how fast have u driven in the left lane in order to pass another vehicle?


(please keep your responses lawful. :) )

One of the many reasons I wish I had a machine gun.

When the speed limit is 45 and there are 2 lanes, don't drive next to the driver in the right lane going 40. It's a passing lane, you should be passing them. OR AT LEAST GOING THE BLOODY SPEED LIMIT

One thing I enjoyed about driving in France was that in the fast lane, if a vehicle came up behind you, they would flash their lights to let you know to get over and people would (shock of shocks!) get over to let the faster car go by.
:D

Let's assume that the speeds I indicated were lawful where I hit them. Same answer as last post.

People that drive slow in the fast/passing lane are passive aggressive and are actually larger road hazards than the people going too fast.

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Originally Posted by AbsoluteApril

One thing I enjoyed about driving in France was that in the fast lane, if a vehicle came up behind you, they would flash their lights to let you know to get over and people would (shock of shocks!) get over to let the faster car go by.
:D

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Same deal in Germany.

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Originally Posted by AbsoluteApril

One thing I enjoyed about driving in France was that in the fast lane, if a vehicle came up behind you, they would flash their lights to let you know to get over and people would (shock of shocks!) get over to let the faster car go by.
:D

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I still do it and surprisingly it works here too, well unless the driver is in his own little world.

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Originally Posted by Oxylepy

One of the many reasons I wish I had a machine gun.

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uh oh, i don't think those are lawful. i'm trying not to encourage unlawful behavior in this thread lol.

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Originally Posted by AbsoluteApril

One thing I enjoyed about driving in France was that in the fast lane, if a vehicle came up behind you, they would flash their lights to let you know to get over and people would (shock of shocks!) get over to let the faster car go by.
:D

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you're from the Bay. i miss driving on the 880. the stretch between Berkley and Union is a thrill lol!

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Originally Posted by JodanOrNoDan

Let's assume that the speeds I indicated were lawful where I hit them. Same answer as last post.

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what were u driving? :)

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Originally Posted by Deborah

I still do it and surprisingly it works here too, well unless the driver is in his own little world.

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how fast have u driven your Hemi Challenger to pass another slower vehicle in the left lane?

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Originally Posted by Deborah

I still do it and surprisingly it works here too, well unless the driver is in his own little world.

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I do this as well and sometimes it works, other times I have had people get very upset. Road rage seems to be a thing in South Florida. I also flash my lights to tell trucks its safe to get over and to warn of a possible ticket up the road.

I live in PA. We have a LOT of reasons to flash lights. Downed trees, deer, police (we have ridiculous speed limits that are in no way related to eachother), turning on head lights, letting someone go... there are so many reasons to flash

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Originally Posted by Ax01

how fast have u driven your Hemi Challenger to pass another slower vehicle in the left lane?

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As fast as the law allows me, while there is speed limit law enforcement allows a certain margin over said speed limit for which they will not pull you over and I stick to that.

If I want to take that Hemi for a spin their is a race track near by :banana:, still in the broken in period for now.

1) In the US apparently flashing to pass is "aggressive driving" :rolleyes: but in Europe drivers know to move over. Their tests and standards are a lot tougher though.

2) Yes you can legally own a machine gun in the US (I have several :D), unless you live in a state like CA where they are banned.

While machine gun ownership may be legal, that particular reason suggests something illegal ;)

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Originally Posted by Ax01

what were u driving? :)

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Lol. I have be fortunate enough to have the opportunity to drive a lot of fast cars. My highest speed was done on a Hayabusa though. That is a bike that will roll your eyeballs back in your head and give you religion.

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Originally Posted by Deborah

If I want to take that Hemi for a spin their is a race track near by :banana:, still in the broken in period for now.

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I have not had the opportunity to drive any of the new dodges. I did get a nice little ride in a maserati a couple weeks back. Nice car, but never buy one. It was in the shop for an engine replacement the following week. They had to fly someone from Italy to work on the stupid thing. Let us know how the track day goes. Have fun!

In England it's the same where you have to use the middle lanes for overtaking only (I failed my first driving test because I got stuck in the middle land and couldn't get back in, most unfair!) but very few people actually obey this on the motorway lol. And I can imagine flashing someone to get them to move over would only result in them driving slower :D From my experience driving there is A LOT of road-rage to be had.

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Originally Posted by JodanOrNoDan

I do this as well and sometimes it works, other times I have had people get very upset. Road rage seems to be a thing in South Florida. I also flash my lights to tell trucks its safe to get over and to warn of a possible ticket up the road.

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The next town over from me just had a road rage incident featured on the news. The driver of one car was recording a video on his cell phone and Channel 5 News aired it. I was thinking to myself that the voice sounded familiar. Sure enough, they interviewed him and it was an old "acquaintance". I never liked the guy much, but felt bad for him when he said his 4 year old daughter was in the car the entire time.

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Originally Posted by JodanOrNoDan

I have not had the opportunity to drive any of the new dodges. I did get a nice little ride in a maserati a couple weeks back. Nice car, but never buy one. It was in the shop for an engine replacement the following week. They had to fly someone from Italy to work on the stupid thing. Let us know how the track day goes. Have fun!

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I can tell you they are nice to drive, I just feel like taking a long road trip for no reason than just driving, I finally enjoy driving.

And to me nothing like an iconic american muscle car with that 1970's look, I tend to like classic cars but I like the fact that I have the look of a classic car but with all the modern technology, and being from Europe I am more attracted to American cars then European. (I know weird)

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Originally Posted by JodanOrNoDan

I have not had the opportunity to drive any of the new dodges. I did get a nice little ride in a maserati a couple weeks back. Nice car, but never buy one. It was in the shop for an engine replacement the following week. They had to fly someone from Italy to work on the stupid thing. Let us know how the track day goes. Have fun!

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Interesting, I worked at Maserati HQ one summer during college (they needed someone for data entry). I agree with you on don't buy one - if something breaks the parts aren't stocked in the US, they have to be shipped from Italy which takes a lot of time.

I do a lot of weekend driving trips to shows or to pickup caging or supplies (any excuse will do). F150, 19 mpg, V8, 4x4, crew cab makes my day! Otherwise, I'm in my Ford Focus, 31 mph, 4 cylinder, sedan. I'm mostly in NY, PA, NJ, OH, VA, MI. Most drivers are decent on the roads. Sometimes the left lane thing is an issue, but not usually.

The fastest I've driven on public roadways is 120 in a Ford Mustang GT. I had to get to a wedding I was the maid of honor for in Philly, from Buffalo, after my relief failed to show at work. That was one expensive road trip. I had the my dress and the bride's veil with me and I think the trooper really did feel bad for me. The ticket cost a small fortune.

Don't get me started. The signs say, "slower traffic stay to the right". What speed is slower? It only exists when there are two vehicles in proximity of one another and then it is the vehicle that is not moving as fast as the other. It is not 45, 55, 65, or even 90. It is the slower vehicle.

Next, the law says you are to pass on the left. Unfortunately it is rarely enforced here in the US. When I was in driving in Germany on the autobahn, you only were in the left lane to pass. When you went to move into the left lane you made darn sure there was nothing approaching as there was no speed limit in places. A dot in your side mirror could be a Porsche on your side, in a very short time when they're doing over 100 MPH, (161 KMH) You never passed on the right or you would be ticketed. When someone flashed their lights you moved over and if you didn't, you were in the wrong.

I wish they would enforce the law like they did in Germany. Perhaps there wouldn't be quite as much gridlock and road rage. You shouldn't be mad if someone is doing it right.

Now for a true story.

I'm on my way to work one day and going down a divided highway, 2 lanes on each side divided by a grass median. The car in front of me is going exactly the speed limit and won't move over. Despite me flashing the lights and also driving close enough to make clear my intent, he just keeps his pace and doesn't budge. Finally the traffic in the right lane opens and provides me a chance to go around this :cens0r: idiot. To my disbelief, when I get along side of him it is my own brother. We did not live together so the fact that we were both on the stretch of road at that time was purely coincidental and this predated cell phones. When I got to work I called him at work and tore him a new one. He argued that since he was driving the speed limit he was under no obligation to move over.

In the words of Willy Wonka; "Wrong Sir, wrong! You get nothing! You loose! Good Day, Sir!"

My husband and son are both training to get CDL endorsements, and may do team long-haul driving in the future. I'm betting there's a lot more idiot-driver rants in my future... [emoji846]

(Husband tests Monday, and IL is pretty strict, fingers crossed that he passes - mostly he just needs to not get flustered).


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Come on down to Chicago and experience some of the dumbest drivers and worst road infrastructure. Not long ago this driver almost drove me off the left passing lane cause they didn't see me when they were turning on the freeway. And cause people drive so slow i go fast to pass them and when you drive a Camaro sometimes it triggers a small but intense race with some random person. I know it's dangerous but it just happens. My favorite victory's were against a big truck that couldn't pass me and i gave a Honda driver a run for his money once. Lately i've been passive aggressive on the road cause i've put too much money in to the care of my car.

Depends on the situation........ If I'm in either of the trucks I only use it to pass.
If I'm on the bike I will only ride in the left or right lanes, if you see me in any of the middle lanes I wont be there for long.
I always keep "an out" because there are too many self-centered drivers that don't look around before they change lanes.
I like having a shoulder to hit if I need to move quick, granted my Sporty will pass if there is enough space in front of them to blow by.
Also like being able to run the shoulder in bumper to bumper stopped traffic. Legal in Texas as long as your scooter is AIR COOLED and you are at a safe speed. When on the shoulder I usually run about 20mph because there it always one idiot that will try to move over and block the lane.

Just picked up my cages in NJ, 6.5 hours one way. Exactly 1 person, a trucker, flashed high beams when I passed to let me know I could get back over. I was stuck in a one lane construction zone, but no workers, with a reduced speed of 45, behind a person doing 25mph for almost 20 miles. Let's see how the trip back, in the pouring rain, with my back window blocked by cages, goes...

Prognathodon, good luck to your husband and son on their CDL's.

BCR229, I don't own a machine gun, but as a short, dumpy, curly grey haired woman traveling alone, my Colt Pocketlite gives me a fine sense of security.

In my area we don't have many lanes, I've rarely been on a highway or interstate with more than 3 lanes on either side, so our left lane is okay to drive in. It's still supposed to be the "fast lane" for passing and stuff, but it's okay for people to drive in it as well. I do hate it when the people in the left lane are slow though. Like speed up or let me pass, what's so hard about that?

EDR, you need to swap stories with Detroit drivers. They think we're crazy for going umpty miles over the speed limit bumper-to-bumper, and we think they're crazy for driving in the Star Wars trench scene expressways! [emoji16]

Thanks DLena, it'll be an interesting change when they're both on the road.


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Originally Posted by PitOnTheProwl

Depends on the situation........ If I'm in either of the trucks I only use it to pass.
If I'm on the bike I will only ride in the left or right lanes, if you see me in any of the middle lanes I wont be there for long.
I always keep "an out" because there are too many self-centered drivers that don't look around before they change lanes.
I like having a shoulder to hit if I need to move quick, granted my Sporty will pass if there is enough space in front of them to blow by.
Also like being able to run the shoulder in bumper to bumper stopped traffic. Legal in Texas as long as your scooter is AIR COOLED and you are at a safe speed. When on the shoulder I usually run about 20mph because there it always one idiot that will try to move over and block the lane.

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Yeah, the middle lane is death on a bike. Be careful running that shoulder though, its where all the nails and other road debris goes.

This is why the Audobon, famous for not having a speed limit for hundreds of miles, hardly has any accidents. Because people only get in the passing lane to pass.