Question on freeway driving...

[yellowline]

I drove to a family function yesterday. For those who know CT, I used I-395. For those who don't know 395, it's busy but no congestion...you're always doing 65-70+.

Anyways, I set the Volvo at 70 (Porsche at 75), when most people actually go 65-68 on this road. I end up passing a lot of people, so I usually live in the left lane. None of us likes a left-lane hog though, so if I'm holding up a car, I move over when I can, and speed up if I can't.

For those of you who are more experienced and drive like this, do you always move over after completing a pass, or do you just stay in the left, thinking it's stupid to keep changing lanes? I figure it's ok to sit in the left lane if I'm not holding anyone up. If the road isn't busy, I do move to the right. Just wondering.

[cowtown]

I always move over. It's good form, plus you're a sitting duck for cops in the passing lane. What that stat...80% of highway speeding tickets are written on cars in the passing lane? Something like that.

[legion]

I'm with Cowtown on this. I move over as soon as I can. The only exception is when someone is really riding my rear and those in the right lane are going very slow.

[IROC]

Not only is it courteous to move over, it's also the law. "Keep right except to pass"... You're not allowed to drive along in the left lane forever. I think the limit is something like 1 mile, or 3 miles or something like that. My sister got a ticket for this once.

Mike

[cstreit]

yep. what they said.

I move over because

1) you're a sitting duck
2) I hate it when others don't

[Tervuren]

Realy depends on traffic here. I adjust lane accorindg to its velocity and density.

[Hugh R]

Move over for reasons stated above, and in left lane, you only have one direction to go, right, if something is in your lane, like an accident, or debris.

[dd74]

Pass and move over. I wish more would do the same for me...

[bryanthompson]

If you're going fast enough that you are moving over every few seconds, you're probably going too fast.

Always move over. and quit speeding

[Superman]

I don't get nearly the speeding tickets I used to, and it's certainly not because I'm going slower. I think it's because I am more savvy and strategic, and one of the tricks is to minimize your time in the passing lane. Another is to drive a tiny brown (Smoky Quartz Metallic) car that's about the same color as the road. Keep your eyes PEELED. In our traffic here, the most important variable is lane choice. The passing lane, as it turns out, is among the slowest. But don't get noticed buzzing along the merging lane at 20 mph faster than traffic. Long following distances are safer, and they make you look like a patient driver. Nothing to see here.......

[masraum]

Ditto, move over.

[Dan Mc Intyre]

I move over and and try to set a good example.

[bryanthompson]

supe, your car is metallic brown? Do you have any pics?

[Jims5543]

Someone needs to clue Florida in. On my trip from Kansas City to Florida I could not figure out why I was getting so frustrated in Florida. Then I realized the ONLY state I had driven in during this trip was Florida where the drivers camp out in the left and expect you to pass them on the right.

Props to North Carolina and Tenn. for 100% of the drivers that kept to the right except to pass, then only passed when they were sure not to hold me, er.. anyone up.

Even when travelling at highly illegal speeds I keep out of the left unless passing.

[yellowline]

I think I was slightly misunderstood. I do only move to pass when I can complete the pass and not hold anyone up. If nobody is behind me wanting to do 75, then I do stay in the left. I move to the right if I don't see another car I'm going to end up passing. I NEVER force people to pass me on the right, that's not what I'm about. It just gets a little tiresome to change lanes every 3 minutes.

Bryan, I'm doing 70 where others are going 65. It's not a huge discrepancy, not really even speeding. I doubt the cops would want to pull me over for it. The Swedish brick is gray, as close to asphalt as paint can get. I know the local hideouts for police and I adjust accordingly when in the 944.

Hugh, you have an excellent point. That alternative-route reason is enough to convince me to move over.

[legion]

Originally posted by SoCal911SC
The long distance drivers out here behave quite a bit differently than the short trip commuters.

Yep.

I drive from Bloomington to Chicago about once a month. I can immediatley tell when I've entered Chicago driver territory, as I can no longer see the headlights of the car behind me.

[IROC]

Originally posted by SoCal911SC
That must be an Alabama thing, it's not that way in California or any of the other states I've driven in.

If you are going the speed limit, you can camp out in the left lane all day out here!

Actually, it's a Tennessee thing. In Tennessee it's illegal to pass on the right, so if you "camp out" in the left lane, you essentially make it illegal for anyone to pass you.

One of those laws that is rarely enforced, obviously.

Mike

[ken_xman]

Originally posted by SoCal911SC
That must be an Alabama thing, it's not that way in California or any of the other states I've driven in.

If you are going the speed limit, you can camp out in the left lane all day out here!

I try to stay out of the left lane as much as possible. And if I'm there and someone comes up behind me going faster, I'll immediately let them by, no matter how fast I'm going. But if I have to constantly be going in and out of the lanes, I'll generally stay in the left. I'd prefer not to, because it's a higher profile lane, but if the next lane isn't flowing fast enough, I'll take my chances.

I think out on the open road out here, people are pretty good about it. I just did 1000 miles from So. Cal. to Arizona this weekend, an only encountered a couple of Left Lane Bandits the entire time. I was surprised on the I10 how fast traffic flowed. One could (theoretically) cruise in the fast lane at 95-100 range for hours on end, and get held up very little. Theoretically. One could probably set the car computer at the beginning of the trip and have it average in the 80s mph over a 400 mile stretch, theoretically.

Out on the open desert roads, cars are actually pretty good about moving out of the left lane to let others by, even if they are going at a pretty good clip. The long distance drivers out here behave quite a bit differently than the short trip commuters.

I think its a law in every state, not enforced in most.

[hardflex]

I guess I'm odd man out here, but when roads here are congested and the right lanes are always full of people getting on/off of the ramps, so I tend to leave that open for them when I can. That means I drive in the fast lane fast enough to stay ahead of cars behind me, usually about 5-8mph over the speed limit. When checking the rear view mirror and the occasional real fast car is coming up behind me, I move over and let him pass ASAP because then HE'll get the ticket ;-)

[Superman]

Another good strategic consideration. there are always guys out there who want a speeding ticket more than I do. Got to feed the bears.