Left lane campers

[Dixie]

My pet peeve for today: Get out of the left lane!

Today I went to Miami and back. The number of people I encountered lollygagging in the left lane was stunning. Regardless if the highway was packed, or virtually empty, there was always someone bebopping along, holding up traffic. Why don't they move over? Do they not see the cars behind them? Can they not read the signs to stay right?

[Eric Hahl]

Was riding with my sister once. She was driving. We were doing 70 in the left lane, no traffic in the other two lanes. I kept my mouth shut.

Someone decided to tailgate her...her response was "what do they want me to do, I'm doing 70".

I'm thinking to myself, they want you to move over to the travel lanes...not travel in the passing lanes. So, yes, clueless.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Capt. Carrera

My pet peeve for today: Get out of the left lane!

Today I went to Miami and back. The number of people I encountered lollygagging in the left lane was stunning. Regardless if the highway was packed, or virtually empty, there was always someone bebopping along, holding up traffic. Why don't they move over? Do they not see the cars behind them? Can they not read the signs to stay right?

I think 98% of the folks in the left lane are clueless.

I think the other 2% of folks are jacka55es that are self appointed police keeping the roads safe.

To this day, I am always a little perplexed when I see someone drive up an exit at 5-10mph below the flow of traffic who then proceeds to bomb across 4-6 lanes of traffic in the shortest time possible to get in the left lane.

I think a lot of folks drive in the left lane because they feel safer there. I think they feel safer because there are no cars on their side of their car.

It's been years, probably at least 15, but there have been a handful of times when I was younger and in just the right/wrong mood, where I'd get around a left lane bandit, get in front of them, and gradually (coasting) slow down in front of them until they pull right to pass me, then I speed back up to more normal speed. These days, I have a different attitude and try NOT to engage in any shenanigans while driving.

[stevej37]

It will earn you a ticket in MI...it's illegal.

[masraum]

2 other things that popped into the forefront of my mind that are on the road oddities to me.

1 Driving in fairly heavy (but not parking lot heavy) traffic with right hand exits. In my mind, the left lane which should mostly be folks in it for the long haul, should be the steadiest speed, while the right lane, with folks exiting and entering/merging should be the slowest (because of the cars coming and going) While lanes in between them seem like they should probably be somewhere in the middle. But for some reason, the left lane is often the slowest and middle and right lanes with more cars jockeying for position, seem to flow faster.

2 Folks that drive with both hands at the top center of the steering wheel, often with <1" between their index fingers. It's always seemed weird to me, but these days, that's downright dangerous.

[Dixie]

Originally Posted by stevej37

It will earn you a ticket in MI...it's illegal.

Its illegal in FL too, but it's not enforced

[porsche tech]

I wrote a letter to the editor that was published in the Washington Post probably 20 years ago after a story about this. In it I stated that I thought people going slow in the left lane were more dangerous and likely to cause an accident than people going fast in the left lane. Some old guy got upset, looked up my address and typed (on a type writer) me a long letter telling me that me and my kind were trouble. He stated several excuses why it was ok to go slow in the left lane, most were ridiculous, having to do with being old. Now I’m old and still think slow pokes in the left lane are dangerous!

[masraum]

My wife had no idea about the whole left lane thing, but after enough of my ranting 1 she doesn't do it, and 2 she gripes about it too.

Most of the time, I just consider those folks chicanes and go around them.

I know many folks will say "but you can't pass on the right". I've checked, and in Texas at least, assuming you have another lane (not the shoulder), I think it's completely legal (although not ideal) to pass on the right. Obviously, passing on the right on the shoulder is bad, and ideally, you'd pass on the left.

[GH85Carrera]

Yea, left lane campers cause right lane passing, and anger in the people getting held up.

My business partner broke up with one girlfriend because she would instantly go the left lane, and stay at the speed limit indicated on her speedometer. He used a GPS to show her she w 5 MPH under the limit. She said no one needs to go faster than her and they just need relax. He said "So you have appointed yourself the speed limit enforcer for the entire planet" and she said yes.

That are out there.

[fastfredracing]

I pass them all with extreme prejudice They don't even get a split second of a chance . I put on my turn signal and get around them at the very first opportunity . Im a pretty chill guy , but I view them as self important dicks, and treat them as such .
Every once in a while , its a short older blue hair, and in my mind I give them a pass ( while I am passing them )

[Bugsinrugs]

I use the left lane only when I’m going faster than everyone else. When I’m in the other lanes I can relax and just drive. My wife used to be a left lane camper until I told her that if you are getting passed consistently on her right she had to move over.

[911/914gary]

On the interstate 40 in Arizona the road is so bad many truckers as well as campers will move to left lane. Its so bad that locals won't pass slower traffic by taking the right lane.

[DonDavis]

What? Another thread bicthing about the lack of Driver Training?

Yeah, chew on that. It's about Training.

And pointing out bad stretches of Right Lane texture is not that relevant. It's certainly true in plenty parts of the roads, but in those cases, everyone probably gets the "why".

[Jeff Higgins]

I'm thinking we may have discussed this before.

[ramonesfreak]

Ide rather have someone doing 70 in the left lane than someone riding 1 inch from my ass when I’m doin 90. No matter how fast I go, there’s a person riding 1 inch from my ass….never mind that the speed limit here is typically 55, at most 65 in some places…and yea, it’s usually a woman

[astrochex]

Snowbirds, Capt. Carrera?

[DonDavis]

Originally Posted by masraum

...snip...
In my mind, the left lane which should mostly be folks in it for the long haul, should be the steadiest speed, while the right lane, with folks exiting and entering/merging should be the slowest (because of the cars coming and going) While lanes in between them seem like they should probably be somewhere in the middle. But for some reason, the left lane is often the slowest and middle and right lanes with more cars jockeying for position, seem to flow faster.

This is actually something I talked about years ago among my friends. IMHO, it has credence.

Instead, just imagine if people took driving more seriously and sought out Advanced Driver Training using the existing patterns and rules.

Nah...bicthing about it on car forums will certainly work, fo sho.

Carry on.

[look 171]

I m a left lane speeder not a camper. Further more, I am an all lane speeder and do most of my passing in the number 2,3,4 or 5th lane.

Left lane camper using their phone surfing Tictok

[flatbutt]

Try Rt 40 thru Tennessee. It's two lanes for very long stretches and 18 wheelers will park themselves in that left lane forever.

[TimT]

Ide rather have someone doing 70 in the left lane than someone riding 1 inch from my ass when I’m doin 90. No matter how fast I go, there’s a person riding 1 inch from my ass

Word, I was going south on 95 in NJ the other day...And was doing 80 indicated in my Cayman on the speedo.. And this guy in a POS clapped out old Toyota minvan crawled right up my ass...

I didn't think those things could do over 80..

I just lifted and coasted for a bit to get away from that idiot