I'm going to say it's because people that are driving slow may be perceived as timid, indecisive, inattentive or overly cautious. Therefore, they may mean well or are stupid and are just a pain in the rear. I think the perception is that anyone driving fast is being intentionally dangerous or reckless and is therefore acting with malice.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Don Ro
Speaking of complaining, driving slow in the fast lane and folks passing in the slow lane.  |
Houston is the WORST for left lane campers. I just don't understand it. I've watched folks get on the freeway at times when there's very little traffic and immediately cut to the far left lane at speeds 10-15mph slower than the flow of traffic. When they get to the left lane, they don't speed up.
I don't think anyone here is taught "slower traffic keep right".
The good news is that, as far as I can tell, there is no law that says that you can't pass on the right on a multilane freeway. Yes, it is against the law to pass on the right on the shoulder of the road, but if there is more than one lane heading in your direction and there is someone in the left lane, you are legal to pass in the right lane. At least, that's how I've read the laws that I was able to find for Texas. It makes sense to me as well.
My commute is on an interstate that runs through the center of Houston. The direction that I drive ranges from 2 lanes up to 5 at one point (mostly 4 lanes per direction). In moderate traffic, I would say that the left lane is usually 75% utilized, the next is probably 50-60%, then 30-40% and finally 5-15%. Yeah, I do occasionally make my way over to the far right lane to get around folks in the 3 left lanes.
I try to maintain the flow of traffic. I pull into a turn lane, then apply the brakes instead of braking heavily in the main lanes and then ducking into turn lanes after I've slowed down. I pull up to lights in the left lane so that if the person behind me wants to turn right on red, they don't have to wait for the light to turn.