Blocking the left lane vs. speeding conundrum
 

Michigan's left lane hogs have been at this for decades, despite signage and enforcement | MLive.com
"Since 2012, the Michigan State Police have issued 6,090 tickets for improper lane use,"

The left lane moves at 80-90mph usually.
Speeding is strictly against the law. Ok.
But when is it justified?
Whenever there is a car behind.

The law seems to contradict itself in this matter.

(Typing this with a bit of irony, only because one of the few speeding tickets I ever received was back in N.Y. when an unmarked cop car pulled up and proceeded to tailgate the piss out of me while passing a slower semi. I was forced to speed.)

You're missing the point. You are not supposed to speed when a car is tailgating you, (nor are you legally allowed to). You're supposed to move the fk over to the right and let them pass. :)

It is never alright to park yourself in the left lane. It's for safe passing. I'm about to drive x-country again in about a week and it will be made less safe by people who do not know the rules of the road, specifically lane laws and that slower traffic is supposed to stay to the right. It is never ok to use your vehicle as a blocking device or enforce the speed limit with your rear bumper.

Exactly. But sometimes when you're in the left lane passing a long line of vehicles, there's no place to safely move over for the tailgater. I don't believe one should squeeze into a spot that's only 3-5 car lengths when everyone is going 70+.

Nor will I. And don't whip out the tired, old "maybe the guy is taking someone to the hospital" BS. If he comes into view with his flashers on, sure... but I won't make an unsafe merge otherwise.

One thing I've done when this situation has come up is put my right turn indicator on. That accomplishes two things; it lets people in the right lane know you're looking for room and it lets the tailgater know you're aware he wants to get by.

It is also never ok to use your vehicle as an intimidation device and try to force another driver to do something illegal or unsafe with your front bumper.

The worst offenders I know of for camping in the left lane are people from Fla. If someone is doing the speed limit in the left lane they are usually getting passed on the right, I just don't understand how people can be so ignorant. I love the ones that are parked in the left lane when there is no one else around so that when you come up on them from behind you have to pass them on the right. People suck

You should come drive in Fla, the worst ones here are from out of state. ;)

More then likely with Va. tags, drivers here really are oblivious to anything other then themselves

Don't think that is state specific. Many of the divided highways here even have signs posted: "Left Lane for Passing Only" and it is very common to see someone tooling along at 65 MPH in the left hand land in a 75 MPH zone... blocking traffic and totally oblivious.

...that have retired to FL. Blue-haired old ladies, camping in the left lane, flipping you off when you flash your lights to wake them up.

AMEN BROTHER! Few things in life annoy me more than people that camp out in the left lane.

OK and TX are terrible. I hate driving to TX, everything from OKC south is dickheads camping in the left lane. I'm spoiled living in KS, the traffic is generally light and the people are polite. Typically when I encounter it in KS, it's somebody with OK or TX tags.:cool:

It gets really bad here during spring break, and also in the summer. Usually it's a bunch of a$$wipes with Kansas plates hauling a bunch of kids in a van, or someone towing their fifth wheel down road at 55.

Here in the NY/NJ metro zone, sadly I often find that I do the majority of my passing in the right lane because the vast majority of people do not respect the "keep right except to pass" rule. The right lane is the "fast lane" around here.

Its common to see someone enter the highway from an on-ramp, and then cross over 3 lanes so they can travel at or below the limit in the far left lane. I think people avoid the far right lane because that's where all the entering/exiting traffic is. Not a legit excuse, but I believe that is the root cause of the annoying phenomenon.

Indiana just passed a new law - $500 ticket if you're sitting in the left lane blocking traffic. Man, I hope this spreads nationwide.

Maryland drivers are the worst.

It seems to me that the worst offenders of left lane banditry are the big SUVs that have some self important, big ego business men that believe the laws of the highways don't apply to them.

From personal observations on a recent trip, I had 3 separate and unrelated black chevy Tahoe/suburbans tailgate me to within one car length at 73 mph (my cruise control speed) that I took 10 seconds longer than they deemed necessary to pass a slower moving semi truck.

These idiots were probably pounding on their steering wheel while yelling at me "don't you know who and how important I am, get out my way".

It boils down to every man for himself on the highway.

I tend to drive without emotion - I have no problem passing on the right and do not hesitate anymore.

I deal in physics.

Always use your turn signals and like the commercials says....just do it.

In NJ, it is illegal to tailgate. It is also illegal to pass on the right. However, tailgating is significantly more dangerous than passing on the right with care.

There are two speeds allowed in the fast lane in my book - go fast, or get out of the way. :)

If I get behind a slow poke in the fast lane, but there is a line of cars that prevent him or her from merging over, I will ease up, as long as they are accelerating with the assumed reason being to get ahead of the line of cars. Once they are pat the cars, if they don't merg (when there is clearly enough room to do so) - I will pass on the right.

Go fast, or get out of the way. You got a problem wit dat?
-Z

Oh, you've been to MI I see? :D

I'll add that they typically are "posing" whilst driving. You know the type, left hand on the top of the steering wheel, leaning to the passenger's side, like they are contemplating how instill world peace.

I69 in MI is 2 lanes in many places and it is a major truck route. It's easy to get stuck behind a line of semi trucks. I do my best to get in the passing lane and get around as soon as possible. When I get behind a left lane hog I don't tailgate but if they do not move over I will give a headlight flash to wake them up. I think passing on the right is not always the safest move.

I think a huge part of the problem is inadequate driver training / licensing. I suspect many of these clueless drivers have no idea they are clueless. The driving test here in NY hasn't changed in too many years. It should include driving on an expressway. If you can't use the on/off ramps appropriately and demonstrate proper etiquette on the highway (including lane discipline), then NO license .. Of course this will probably never happen ..

Technically, I think that it's already illegal to not allow someone to pass on the left everywhere. You are supposed to move to the right if possible and let them by. If you are camped-out in the left lane and suddenly cars are tailgating you but there is no room to move over, guess what? It's your fault. You should not have been parked in the left lane to start with. It's for passing.

If you are legitimately passing some trucks or slower traffic and someone is tailgating you while you're doing it, screw them. Let them wait. Watch how the semi tractor trailers drive out on the road. That is how everyone should drive. It could not be more simple. It's perfectly legit to move over to the left momentarily to let someone in from an entrance ramp.

If everyone followed this simple rule on the highway, and drove in a courteous manner, (the two are related), accidents would be nearly non-existent. If you just follow them yourself, the odds go way up in your favor. The interstate highway system is really boring to drive on for the most part but can at least be safe and relaxing. Even my chances of nailing a deer go way down because I'm usually in the right lane behind a bunch of semis or passing them with a rolling wall of tonnage along side me. :cool: