PSA: Why You Shouldn't Drive Slow In the Left Lane

[IronMonster]

So, let me get this straight - I'm traveling the speed limit plus 4 and likely on cruise control but I'm somehow responsible for the accident caused by an impatient a-hole that's weaving in and out of traffic? Frankly I do keep to the right as much as possible, but if my driving legal pisses you off then IDGAF.

BTW the posted speed limit is an UPPER speed limit and not a lower one.

Well... The law is keep right except to pass.... So technically you are breaking the law by being in the left lane... So yeah, not really legal.

EDIT~ I did not see the post above... Im gonna drop this since you already have got blasted once

 

[IronMonster]

I don't care what lane I am in................if your going slow I will pass your bubblegum

Hell I traveled the left lane all the way north to Seattle.......pulling a trailer then noticed the signs no trucks or trailers over 10K hell I was doing 80 most of the time.................

I got pulled over while pulling a trailer in the left lane. The cop came up and said "do you know why I pulled you over?" I said "I suspect it was for speeding?" He said, "Well I did clock you at 88 but I pulled you over for pulling a trailer in the left lane" I said "Oh, Am I not suppose to do that?" He replied "Correct, You cannot be in the left lane because it holds up traffic".... I said..... "But I was doing 88"..... He stared at me with a blank look for a minute and said.... "Im going to let you off with a warning this time"

 

[spectra]

I got pulled over for speeding while pulling a trailer in the left lane. The cop came up and said "do you know why I pulled you over?" I said "I suspect it was for speeding?" He said, "Well I did clock you at 88 but I pulled you over for pulling a trailer in the left lane" I said "Oh, Am I not suppose to do that?" He replied "Correct, You cannot be in the left lane because it holds up traffic".... I said..... "But I was doing 88"..... He stared at me with a blank look for a minute and said.... "Im going to let you off with a warning this time"

Yup I think its nuts when pulling a trailer and they want to ticket your bubblegum in the left lane................

Hell if I can keep up with traffic and tail gate some one.............well who cares what lane I am in

Reminds me of years ago I rented a Penske truck and drove from Arizona to Washington..........well while in LA I am doing 80 on the freeway in the left lane and people would pull out thinking they were going to pass.......until they saw I was riding the bubblegum of the person in front of me........

 

[IronMonster]

Yup I think its nuts when pulling a trailer and they want to ticket your bubblegum in the left lane................

Hell if I can keep up with traffic and tail gate some one.............well who cares what lane I am in

Reminds me of years ago I rented a Penske truck and drove from Arizona to Washington..........well while in LA I am doing 80 on the freeway in the left lane and people would pull out thinking they were going to pass.......until they saw I was riding the bubblegum of the person in front of me........

The last ticket I got was for going 70 in a 70 (but only allowed 55 with a trailer) in Northern California. It was 2 AM, not a soul was around and I was doing the posted speed limit, except you are not allowed to go the speed limit when you have a trailer (which was empty by the way) $727 ticket

 

[spectra]

The last ticket I got was for going 70 in a 70 (but only allowed 55 with a trailer) in Northern California. It was 2 AM, not a soul was around and I was doing the posted speed limit, except you are not allowed to go the speed limit when you have a trailer (which was empty by the way) $727 ticket

Now that's bullbubblegum.............northern Cali?

 

[3MTA3]

Well... The law is keep right except to pass.... So technically you are breaking the law by being in the left lane... So yeah, not really legal.

EDIT~ I did not see the post above... Im gonna drop this since you already have got blasted once

No, not exactly blasted. The person who is driving recklessly and weaving in and out of traffic is the cause of the accident and not some schmuck who refuses to drive over the speed limit in the left hand lane to accommodate people who are unable to manage their time. Perhaps that person was in the left hand lane passing a truck or series of trucks going up hill (ever been up Deadman Pass/Cabbage Hill as an example?).

I've already said that I don't hang out in the left hand lane except to pass, and that's not just because it's the law since it hasn't always been the law in Oregon - that's brand new this year and I don't know if the Governor has even signed it yet. I did it because it's no skin off my back to let faster traffic get through.

 

[IronMonster]

Now that's bullbubblegum.............northern Cali?

It was in Weed

 

[spectra]

It was in Weed

Yep those bubblegums would pull over a stick if they could......................

 

[Mikej]

As I make my daily drives around the city and on the city freeways some thoughts come to mind. I consider myself an aggressive driver, I attack the road. I'm on the road, most times, to get somewhere. I DO NOT race off the line. I'm conservative speed wise. I do not weave in and out of traffic unless I could do it in a slow planned out safe manner as I'm long past the point in my driving life to worry about getting somewhere 5 car lengths ahead of someone. I go the posted limit because I believe someone has posted it for a reason. When I'm behind the wheel I'm watching for many things. I was taught defensive driving, I rode motor cycle for quite a few years, (on and off road) and if you don't drive defensively on one of them, well.

For city streets.
If there's no one in front of you for 8-20 car lengths but there are people behind you at 1-3 car lengths, go the speed limit, or a mile or two over, as long as it's safe to do so. If you can't do that, signal, and pull over.

TURN SIGNALS, are meant to be used BEFORE, ahead of time, previous to, the actual turn, lane change ,etc.

When the light turns green, it's something to watch for actually, after a quick glance left/right GO. The drivers after that first car need to go also, not let six car lengths get between you.

People need to move to the side of the road they are going to turn on. Such as a left turn at a two lane intersection. Hug the center line ,that way people (if they have a brain) can ease on around you on the right.

If your going to pull out from a side street to a main artery accelerate so no one has to put their brakes on. After all, how many cars now days have 200 plus HP? Use it when it's needed!

Freeways.

Accelerate using the acceleration lane. Do not come up the ramp to the freeway at 45 when traffic is doing 55. People are so damned nice in Portland that they want to help you merge by slowing down! Those people are also morons. There ARE rules on how to properly merge and having drivers slow for your dumb butt is a huge problem.

Once again, on the freeway this time. If there's no one for a long distance ahead of you but some one right behind you, move over or speed up! It's just that simple.

If people are repeatedly passing you on the right, you're doing it WRONG! Move over.

If you are in the left lane on a multi-lane road, going the same speed as those on your right, and there is no one in front of you for 100-200-300 yards? Move to the right.

These are the things I was taught by my father, and the driving instructor in 1972. It seems like plain old common sense. Were all suppose to help our fellow man, right? If all these fairy-dust spreading, snowflake, sensitive, green, ECO types that have infested Portland would follow simple rules of the road we'd all be better off. We'd save a bunch of time, a bunch of fuel and the pollution that goes with that fuel,brake dust, tire rubber.

I get so sick of hearing about how bad the traffic is in PDX. I people followed these few, basic, simple common sense driving rules it would surely make a difference.

And yeah, lets start aggressively ticketing people that refuse to follow the cell phone while driving laws.

 

[3MTA3]

As I make my daily drives around the city and on the city freeways some thoughts come to mind. I consider myself an aggressive driver, I attack the road. I'm on the road, most times, to get somewhere. I DO NOT race off the line. I'm conservative speed wise. I do not weave in and out of traffic unless I could do it in a slow planned out safe manner as I'm long past the point in my driving life to worry about getting somewhere 5 car lengths ahead of someone. I go the posted limit because I believe someone has posted it for a reason. When I'm behind the wheel I'm watching for many things. I was taught defensive driving, I rode motor cycle for quite a few years, (on and off road) and if you don't drive defensively on one of them, well.

For city streets.
If there's no one in front of you for 8-20 car lengths but there are people behind you at 1-3 car lengths, go the speed limit, or a mile or two over, as long as it's safe to do so. If you can't do that, signal, and pull over.

TURN SIGNALS, are meant to be used BEFORE, ahead of time, previous to, the actual turn, lane change ,etc.

When the light turns green, it's something to watch for actually, after a quick glance left/right GO. The drivers after that first car need to go also, not let six car lengths get between you.

People need to move to the side of the road they are going to turn on. Such as a left turn at a two lane intersection. Hug the center line ,that way people (if they have a brain) can ease on around you on the right.

If your going to pull out from a side street to a main artery accelerate so no one has to put their brakes on. After all, how many cars now days have 200 plus HP? Use it when it's needed!

Freeways.

Accelerate using the acceleration lane. Do not come up the ramp to the freeway at 45 when traffic is doing 55. People are so damned nice in Portland that they want to help you merge by slowing down! Those people are also morons. There ARE rules on how to properly merge and having drivers slow for your dumb butt is a huge problem.

Once again, on the freeway this time. If there's no one for a long distance ahead of you but some one right behind you, move over or speed up! It's just that simple.

If people are repeatedly passing you on the right, you're doing it WRONG! Move over.

If you are in the left lane on a multi-lane road, going the same speed as those on your right, and there is no one in front of you for 100-200-300 yards? Move to the right.

These are the things I was taught by my father, and the driving instructor in 1972. It seems like plain old common sense. Were all suppose to help our fellow man, right? If all these fairy-dust spreading, snowflake, sensitive, green, ECO types that have infested Portland would follow simple rules of the road we'd all be better off. We'd save a bunch of time, a bunch of fuel and the pollution that goes with that fuel,brake dust, tire rubber.

I get so sick of hearing about how bad the traffic is in PDX. I people followed these few, basic, simple common sense driving rules it would surely make a difference.

And yeah, lets start aggressively ticketing people that refuse to follow the cell phone while driving laws.

Great post! These are the rules I go by, the only thing I'll add is that when I see your turn signals I do my part to help you change lanes. I also give big trucks and motorcycles a wider berth than I do cars.

 

[Camelfilter]

So a man bun / snowflake whom rarely drives, drove & got a ticket for being a d-bag.

Man bun / snowflake does a video / PSA, so his man bun / snowflake friends can learn what normal people allready know.

...nice little man bun bun / snowflake, we're getting your participation trophy ready for you...

Maybe he can start teaching this in his "life class". Topics include,

-how to fill your own vehicle at the gas station.
-which restroom to use.
-how to go about calling AAA.
-how to make your own sandwich.

 

[v0lcom13sn0w]

im king of the road. i do what i want

 

[ZigZagZeke]

That's how I've been using the left lane since day one, however my point is that the car that's weaving and otherwise driving recklessly is the one that causes the accident. That's also the law as in Oregon the person who had the last chance to avoid the accident is always considered to be at fault. Also, if I move over to allow a speeder to pass me the person speeding is still breaking the law.

That car that is weaving wouldn't have to be doing that if there wasn't some yahoo camped out in the left lane doing 64 mph. By being that left lane camper it is you that is causing the accidents by people trying to get around you. ON my way to Portland the other day there was one such. He had traffic backed up for a mile behind him, what with the RV and trucks in the right lane. We were all locked into 64 mph in the left lane and the right lane was going slower. Of course there were numbskulls weaving in and out trying to get ahead of him. There's the law, and then there's reality. It's reality we have to answer to in the end.

 

[3MTA3]

That car that is weaving wouldn't have to be doing that if there wasn't some yahoo camped out in the left lane doing 64 mph. By being that left lane camper it is you that is causing the accidents by people trying to get around you. ON my way to Portland the other day there was one such. He had traffic backed up for a mile behind him, what with the RV and trucks in the right lane. We were all locked into 64 mph in the left lane and the right lane was going slower. Of course there were numbskulls weaving in and out trying to get ahead of him. There's the law, and then there's reality. It's reality we have to answer to in the end.

Why is the person weaving in and out of traffic required to place everybody elses lives at risk? If the traffic was very heavy with all the lanes packed, would they also be required to drive past everybody else in the emergency lane? The ONLY traffic that has priority over others has lights and sirens on it.

I'm not advocating camping out in the left hand lane, in fact I advocate keeping the left hand lane as clear as possible. The person weaving in and out of traffic is the person who made the CHOICE to endanger everyone else and IS the person responsible for the outcome.

 

[The B]

That's how I've been using the left lane since day one, however my point is that the car that's weaving and otherwise driving recklessly is the one that causes the accident. That's also the law as in Oregon the person who had the last chance to avoid the accident is always considered to be at fault. Also, if I move over to allow a speeder to pass me the person speeding is still breaking the law.

HE WOULDN'T BE WEAVING IF YOU bubblegumERS WEREN'T IN THE LEFT LANE

 

[3MTA3]

HE WOULDN'T BE WEAVING IF YOU bubblegumERS WEREN'T IN THE LEFT LANE

And he is required to risk everybody elses life for what reason? I'm not saying it doesn't suck to be stuck behind a slow driver. I'm saying that sometimes an adult needs to act like one.

Once again - what makes it OK for someone who is running late endanger everybody else?

 

[ZigZagZeke]

And he is required to risk everybody elses life for what reason?

And it would be nice to live in a perfect world. But we don't and people do stupid things. And that's entirely foreseeable by people who aren't stupid. So why let it happen?

 

[3MTA3]

And it would be nice to live in a perfect world. But we don't and people do stupid things. And that's entirely foreseeable by people who aren't stupid. So why let it happen?

Agreed. Live with the fact that it will take likely less than 30 seconds to get around the slow driver and do it safely without endangering others. Go ahead and pull over and report the slow driver as a traffic hazard if you like. Regardless, act like an adult and don't endanger others needlessly.

 

[awshoot]

I don't do serious city driving all that much but I do occasionally go (south) to Seattle. Just south of Mt. Vernon the freeway splits into three lanes. I get in the middle lane, set my cruise control at the speed limit, and enjoy an audiobook. I will try to stay in the middle because as it gets more populous the farther south I get, the right lane turns into a nightmare of traffic merging onto the freeway and people merging in from the left who want to make an exit. The middle lane is less stressful.

I wonder what the rule is when there is more than one left lane. I don't want a ticket, but I also don't want to sit in the right lane through all those crazy curves in Everett.

EDIT: Looked it up. It appears there are two conflicting rules, although it is arguable that traveling in the middle lane meets (2)(c), between Mt. Vernon and Smokey Point where the freeway has three lanes most of the way, that would be a hard argument to make most of the time. Anyway, paragraph 2 says to stay in the right lane while paragraph 4 says to stay out of the left lane: RCW 46.61.100: Keep right except when passing, etc.

(2) Upon all roadways having two or more lanes for traffic moving in the same direction, all vehicles shall be driven in the right-hand lane then available for traffic, except (a) when overtaking and passing another vehicle proceeding in the same direction, (b) when traveling at a speed greater than the traffic flow, (c) when moving left to allow traffic to merge, or (d) when preparing for a left turn at an intersection, exit, or into a private road or driveway when such left turn is legally permitted. [heavy vehicle rules omitted]
...
(4) It is a traffic infraction to drive continuously in the left lane of a multilane roadway when it impedes the flow of other traffic.​

 

[BBQ Guy]

And he is required to risk everybody elses life for what reason? I'm not saying it doesn't suck to be stuck behind a slow driver. I'm saying that sometimes an adult needs to act like one.

Once again - what makes it OK for someone who is running late endanger everybody else?

Not everybody is running late, that is an assumption.
There are people that speed regardless of what time of day it is and where they are going. To some extent, that is recognized but not generally spoken about. While the left lane is for passing, it is also for those that choose to put the pedal to the floor.
Unless you have been deputized, it is in your best personal preservation purposes to stay out their way. Your willful neglect to acknowledge that fact and stay out of the left unless accelerating and passing vehicles does indeed place others in unnecessary dangers. You can be obtuse about this issue all you want, but the bottom line is that the left lane is for passing and in general those that want to speed. While the second issue is unlawful it does not negate the first and the safety the left lane offers the speeders so they dont have to weave in and out of lanes. Not only that, but the state has gone through the exercise of spending taxpayer money to post signs about the use of the left lane as they recognize that people camp out in the left lane frequently.