So.....are you a left laner, middle laner or right laner

[mobiledynamics]

Who`s more the xxxxxxxx

The one who camps on the left lane or the driver who moved 2 lanes over to overtake the left laner

Granted I suppose the driving situation is different or not in places where there is no metropolitan transit systems.

There is a night and day difference on M-F drivers versus the weekend drivers.
It`s as if the M-F knows what the flow is on the left lane and well, the weekend is the weekend.

Ha. I remember talking to one mechanic who had a stroke and now just mans the front of the house. He was saying I wake up like 5:30 AM , drive in the right lane to the shop, slow as hell , everyone`s honking at me. "I ain`t got nowhere to go and I`m not in a rush" LOL. At least he know which lane is the passing lane.

[Bill D]

I make sure to leave early for an appointment I may have so I’m not in a rush to get there. When I’m on a highway I’m a right laner. Luckily I don’t have to worry much about who’s in which lane because I work from home.

[mobiledynamics]

Passing Lane flow aside, I feel safer on the left. I feel it`s more dangerous to be on the right lane with the oncomings

[glfnaz]

Middle Lane guy here. Never in the left lane. Never in the right lane due to incoming mergers. I`m early for everything.
If you tailgate me, you will eat my back bumper.

[TheMeanGreen]

If this were any other forum, I would not comment solely based on me not wanting to vomit my frustration to other forum users. But as we are a community here on AF, I`ll be a bit more loving as I add my two cents:

Traffic moves like a fluid, Transportation Engineers have been modeling traffic flow off of Fluid Mechanics for quite sometime. Imagine water flowing down a river, across Roman aqueducts, or the water running through your pipes at home, road ways and traffic are based on the same principles. For this example and following common American roadway laws, the inside left lane will be called lane number one, the middle lane is lane number two, and the right hand lane is called lane number three, there are three lanes in this example, the directions will be north and south.

Common US highways and interstates are modeled with three lanes going in opposition to one another, for a total of six lanes, each direction is half of a pipe and the traffic is the fluid. In lane number three we have our boundary layer, the boundary layer is comprised of the slowest moving fluid relative to the direction of flow. As a fluid gets farther away from the boundary layer, the higher its velocity, and the more laminar (smoother) its flow. Merging on and off the highway is an accurate representation of the boundary layer, slower moving and susceptible to turbulence, traffic speeds ranging from just below the speed limit to the speed limit. As we move away from our boundary layer, our traffic flow in lane number two starts to get smoother and less turbulent, speeds range from the speed limit to a few mph above the speed limit and provide another boundary layer for the vehicles traveling in lane number one, the left lane. The left lane has the most laminar flow, traffic is designed to be the most free flowing in this lane, speeds range from the few mph above the speed limit to about 10-15mph above the speed limit, *remember that if you are doing 15 over in this lane, you`re the first car in line, and there is a line of vehicles behind you, you`re holding up the flow of traffic, move over and allow others to pass*. The left lane is also the designated passing lane, if you are doing 15 over and there is someone on your bumper behind you, sacrifice your speed and position to let them pass.

In regards to who is the bigger xxxxxxx, it`s the guy camping in the left lane. If there wasn`t anyone camping in the left lane, the guy who moved over two lanes to pass wouldn`t have done so. The left lane camper also engaged the passer to make a very dangerous maneuver to pass, when passing on the right a driver has to look over their right shoulder, through their car, and across lane number two and three of traffic, before they decide to pass, super dangerous but avoidable is the left lane camper wasn`t so ignorant.

In regards:
*Driver confidence plays many roles in traffic, I don`t mean be so negative but if one doesn`t feel safe driving on certain roadways, then avoid them.
*If one is waking up early to drive to work slowly and getting honked at in the process, they are an ever greater roadway hazard than the people speeding in the left lane, they need to get off the highway and take the side streets or service roads.

My highway driving approach, I like to model the German way of driving to the best of my ability in all given situations, always being alert, knowing how the lanes on highways are to be used, and always moving with the flow of traffic when possible. But if there is someone or more than someone in the left lane holding up the flow of traffic, I am not afraid to flash for pass or honk in order to make my way through.

Subjectively decent video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oqfodY2Lz0

The funny thing is is that majority of US states teach some type of left lane curriculum in drivers ed, required by law. However, it seems like the vast majority of drivers forget the rules of the road in the state from which they passed their most recent driving test.

Rant Off.

[Fishroes]

I’m with mobile, left lane to avoid merging, but the bottom line is I WILL NOT get behind tractor trailers or dump trucks or any large truck because, as everyone knows, they will throw rocks and debris at your vehicle

[Bill D]

No trailers or large trucks for me either. I don’t care if I wind up going pretty slowly just to avoid them. I had to deal with them more in Jersey than I do here in Florida though.

[mobiledynamics]

TMG. Very well written. I could not put all that in words.

[Desertnate]

When traffic permits I stay in the right-most lane and pass on the left. However, I do make a few exceptions:

- Areas with lots of on-ramps and lane mergers, I`ll stay in the middle lane to avoid the chaos and will only pass on the left. Too many people don`t know how to merge and the problems are complicated by very short on-ramps
- When I`m steadily passing lots of vehicles I`ll move all the way left and stay there until I`ve either passed everyone slower than me, or someone moving even faster comes up on my tail. I then get out of their way and then move back over to keep passing.
- Traffic with vehicles in random lanes moving at constantly varring speeds will often force me to cautiously work my way around each car...cautiously, none of the slash and dive across multiple lane nonesense like you see far too often.

My father-in-law is a left-lane camper and has no concept of the traffic flow described above; nor does he care. His position is he`ll drive in any lane he chooses and any speed he chooses and everyone else can simply go around him if they don`t like it. Drives me nuts! It seems to be a common thing in his state as I`ve observed similar behavior more there than anywhere else in the US where I`ve lived/worked. Watching a vehicle entire the hightway at 35~45mph and then quickly veer across three lanes of traffic moving at 70-ish mph is a site to behold!

[Accumulator]

I can`t generalize as I use whichever lane is appropriate and there can be a lot of determining factors. But I`m as courteous as I can be without causing (genuine) problems for myself.

But yeah, I`ve tied up traffic is a huge way many times when it was necessary to avoid (again, genuine) damage to my vehicle.

[Stokdgs]

Great feedback here !!!!
I am all for everyone driving smoothly and smart, so we can all get on and off the road as quickly as possible..

I like to drive a little faster than posted, so that requires being in the left lane..
What I always work for is to be out of the "Pack" and drive alone as much as possible..

Will never be in the left lane, holding up anyone.. If the left lane goes way too fast for my needs, I of course move over..

Decades of driving those long trips have proven to me that whatever speed you keep, as long as you keep it at that speed, (cruise control really helps) you will make better time..

I always try to find that place where I can be alone, not having to worry about all these people driving erratically while texting, etc...

I still remember when cell phones first came out, I could always tell who was talking and driving.. They would speed up, slow down, go over the lines, pretty much a lot of distracted driving.. I always made sure to be way ahead of those people..

It is interesting to see how many left lane "cowards" will get on your butt, and when you move over for these ninnies, they don`t really want to pass you anyway..
Guess they just want someone to go faster, hide behind them, and you get the ticket instead of them getting it.. Cowards..

No one ever taught them how to "pace" a vehicle, from a distance, which is also very useful at night..
That vehicle up a half-mile, mile, or so, can be your "eyes" up the road and hopefully will catch things happening up there, hit the brakes, slow down, etc., before you get to that spot..

Dan F

[rlmccarty2000]

I usually drive faster than the posted limits. It’s just my nature. It doesn’t matter if I’m in a hurry or not. If there is no traffic in the right lane I stay there. Basically I drive traffic dependent. I loved driving in Germany. The drivers there were actually paying attention to driving instead of something else. Driving at high speeds requires more attention. I didn’t like driving as much when the wall came down and the East Germans and their crappy Trabants clogged the Autobahn. I’m for raising the speed limit to 85 on the interstate and 65 on state roads. I think speed will reduce wrecks. Although the wrecks that do occur will have higher fatalities. I also think semi trucks should have there own lane, but that’s another thread.

[RaskyR1]

I`m typically going 8-15 over the limit on the freeway and I`m usually in the left lane, but I always move over to cars coming up behind me. Only time I won`t move over is when it`s bumper to bumper traffic. Thankfully I rarely see any traffic as my work commute is only 4 miles.

[Nizmo]

Must be nice to travel to work on interstate! I`m stuck with backwoods state roads with limited passing zones. I`m amazed at the traffic I have to deal with at 8pm, and usually get behind grandma gurdy doing 40 in a 45... If you get behind a semi going down the mountain you`re stuck as there is no legal passing zone. My commute is about 45 minutes no traffic, but I have to leave 1.5hrs early just because of this and usually takes me a little over an hour.

[Fishroes]

Rlmccarty In my opinion raising speed limits would work if everyone payed attention to driving but that will never happen. If I’m in the left lane running 7 or 8 over the speed limit I will move over but if I’m running 75 in a 70 and someone comes up behind me that’s just tough sh!t Unless it’s an emergency you should’ve left earlier. Don’t know about other states but in va 80+ You can get wrote up for reckless driving
Most of the time I will drive around 5 over the limit. I hate it when the govt gets in my wallet. Knock on wood haven’t had a ticket in 7 years