Passing on the Right

[kphoger]

No matter how fast you want to go, you should still move right if you're not passing. If volumes are such that the fastest-moving traffic spends the majority of their time on the left, then so be it.

Exactly.  I remember driving on the E-W Toll Road in the Chicago suburbs back when I lived there.  The speed limit was 55 mph, but nearly all traffic went between 65 and 80 mph.  In that case, the people going 65 should keep right, no matter that they're going 10 over the limit.  And the people going 80 mph should move to the right if someone going 85 wants to pass them.  Often, traffic was thick enough that moving right was impractical for the fastest of traffic, but that's just common sense.

It's not a difficult concept.  Keep right except to pass, a.k.a. slower traffic keep right.  The actual number on your speedometer does not affect this principle.

[kalvado]

^ I'm not sure how you reached that first conclusion.
No matter how fast you want to go, you should still move right if you're not passing. If volumes are such that the fastest-moving traffic spends the majority of their time on the left, then so be it.

And if traffic volumes are too high, everyone must move right and stop to let The Roadgeek pass?
That is exactly what I am talking about!

[US 89]

I pass on the right only if I am 100% certain that the car in the left lane has no good reason to be there, isn't planning to get over when they think it's safe to do so, and I can get fully around them before approaching another car - which usually means I'll give them a few seconds to get over before passing.

That’s exactly how I drive in rural areas.

Urban areas are different, because there are a lot more cars, and a lot more left and middle lane hogs. In a perfect world, if everyone stayed to the right except to pass, I wouldn’t have to pass on the right, but because many drivers don’t follow this rule, it’s often necessary. I’m certainly more aggressive about passing on the right on urban freeways than on rural freeways, although I won’t pass if it looks like they’re planning on moving over. And on urban surface streets, the “keep right except to pass” rule goes out the window for everyone. Usually left-lane hogs are there because they’re going to turn left at some point.

What I won’t do is tailgate or flash my lights at other drivers waiting for them to move over. I don’t understand why people do that. If it gets to that point, just pass them on the right. Passing on the right isn’t illegal, but tailgating is, and behavior like that is passive-aggressive and annoying.

[kalvado]

It's not a difficult concept.  Keep right except to pass, a.k.a. slower traffic keep right.

Problem is those are two different things, especially once traffic densifies...

[kalvado]

What I won't do is tailgate or flash my lights at other drivers waiting for them to move over. I don't understand why people do that. If it gets to that point, just pass them on the right. Passing on the right isn't illegal, but tailgating is, and behavior like that is passive-aggressive and annoying.

Passing on the right requires much more room in right lane than moving over.
Or, if you will, passing on the right becomes almost impossible if that lane has less than 7-10 second intervals between cars - that is <500 vph, while moving over requires 4 second gap, <1000 vph give or take.
But at 1000 vph traffic will start to spill in second lane in either case.

[CtrlAltDel]

I'll be cruising along at 80 mph in the left lane . . .

I started tailgating the traffic . . .

I decided and successfully used the left shoulder to pass the vehicle . . .

Common sense just doesn't register with some people . . .

You very much seem to be one of those people.

[CtrlAltDel]

As for myself, I don't really consider the "keep right except to pass" rule to apply in urban areas, on both regular streets and freeways. Perhaps it's the Chicagoan in me, but my experience has been that any lane is fine for most purposes, except the leftmost if things aren't too crowded.

On rural freeways, I follow the rule almost all the time. Mostly, I admit because I like the whole ritual of passing. The main exception is when the condition of the pavement in the right lane is poor, and it's just easier to stay in the left. My experience also is that most other drivers follow the rule as well. I'd say that in a day's drive in rural territory, I'll see maybe three left-lane people.

As far as passing on the right, I have no qualms or hesitation about doing so. I just keep going in the right lane. Sometimes I'll raise my eyebrow as I pass the other driver, though.

[adwerkema]

I never knew such conversation could be made from this topic. Here's my take on it:

For me, I love the right lane. While in the right lane, I never feel pressured to move over if someone is tailgating me. Thus, I cling to the right as much as I can and only use the left when I need to pass. If a slowpoke happens to be in the left lane, I think nothing of it - because I'm minding my own business in the right lane.

Basically, I see nothing wrong with passing on the right - you're in the lane you should be in.

[RobbieL2415]

Legal (if there's three or more lanes) and done all the time here. They want to change the law to prohibit it but that would be silly and would defeat the purpose of having three lanes in spots.

[kphoger]

It's not a difficult concept.  Keep right except to pass, a.k.a. slower traffic keep right.

Problem is those are two different things, especially once traffic densifies...

I'm not so sure.  If you are not passing anyone, then you are by definition slower traffic.

[kalvado]

It's not a difficult concept.  Keep right except to pass, a.k.a. slower traffic keep right.

Problem is those are two different things, especially once traffic densifies...

I'm not so sure.  If you are not passing anyone, then you are by definition slower traffic.

You know, I am trying to advocate other options - like split speed limits - as an highway alternative. There is a lot of not-so-fine print about it; but regarding your statement:  split limits do mean "slower keep right", but NOT "keep right except to pass"...

[webny99]

And if traffic volumes are too high, everyone must move right and stop to let The Roadgeek pass?
That is exactly what I am talking about!

Not at all. If volumes are too high, congestion mitigation strategies, and possibly additional lanes, should be implemented.

I let others pass on the left, and you do the same. It's the way freeways are intended to work.

[webny99]

I never knew such conversation could be made from this topic.

That's because you're new here. This is just a warm-up 

Basically, I see nothing wrong with passing on the right - you're in the lane you should be in.

Yes, but the caveat is keep right except to pass. So when you're passing, as "keep right" doesn't apply, there really is no "correct lane" - for you. That's because you're dependent on slower traffic choosing to keep right. The car being passed does have a "correct lane" - to the right of passing cars.

[kalvado]

And if traffic volumes are too high, everyone must move right and stop to let The Roadgeek pass?
That is exactly what I am talking about!

Not at all. If volumes are too high, congestion mitigation strategies, and possibly additional lanes, should be implemented.

I let others pass on the left, and you do the same. It's the way freeways are intended to work.

I mentioned the difference between "slower keep right" and "keep right except to pass" above, and I believe this is significant part of different approaches. We have people on this board who explicitly said that cutting off people in right lane is OK as part of KREP strategy.
There is a huge difference between letting faster traffic pass on the left and religiously keeping right no matter what, even if that compromises other drivers' safety. That is where I see room for discussion.

[webny99]

I mentioned the difference between "slower keep right" and "keep right except to pass" above, and I believe this is significant part of different approaches.

You said something about split speed limits, but that isn't evidence of fundamental differences between the two concepts.

We have people on this board who explicitly said that cutting off people in right lane is OK as part of KREP strategy.

I am not one of those people, so I'm not really obligated to defend that statement. In any case, if you've just passed someone, the distance between you and them is increasing, such that "cutting off" isn't really a concern.

There is a huge difference between letting faster traffic pass on the left and religiously keeping right no matter what, even if that compromises other drivers' safety. That is where I see room for discussion.

You'll have to establish the difference. If no one even wants to pass you, then it's not of utmost importance to anyone that you move right immediately.
If someone does want to pass, you should move right; call it religious if you want, but it certainly doesn't compromise safety.

[Super Mateo]

In Northeast Illinois and Northwest Indiana, it's an absolute necessity.  People here do not understand the concept of lane usage at all.  If I have to pass someone on the right, about 90% of the time, it leads to that car getting cut off.  The annoying campers tend to go to the center lane (which I call "River Splitters") more than they do the left.

In rural areas, though, drivers are much better, especially the trucks.  Almost everybody drives in the right lane, unless it's an attempted pass or there is a vehicle on the shoulder.

[Flint1979]

I passed on the right tonight. I was traveling on NB M-47 north of Freeland on the freeway stretch and was using the left lane to pass, came up to a slow moving car and a car behind the slow moving car, got over in the right lane, passed both cars and got back in the left lane to pass another car that was in the right lane, then got back over to the right lane just before the US-10 interchange.

[jeffandnicole]

And if traffic volumes are too high, everyone must move right and stop to let The Roadgeek pass?
That is exactly what I am talking about!

I find this argument to be stated most often by people who look for any excuse to remain in the left lane.

If you had enough room to merge to the right, then traffic volumes weren't that high. If there's room in front of you for more vehicles, then you're probably driving too slow.

[02 Park Ave]

I agree with adwerkema's position.

[kphoger]

You know, I am trying to advocate other options - like split speed limits - as an highway alternative. There is a lot of not-so-fine print about it; but regarding your statement:  split limits do mean "slower keep right", but NOT "keep right except to pass"...

Yes.  This is a fundamental problem I have with split speed limits (by which I understand you to mean one lane has one speed limit, while another lane has another speed limit).  I have actually driven on a highway like this, as a matter of fact.  The right lane had a speed limit of 80 km/h, and the left lane had a speed limit of 100 km/h.  By legal technicality, this means that any driver choosing to go 85 km/h is legally prohibited from letting someone pass him who chooses to go 95 km/h–even though both drivers are obeying the speed limit.  This concept is flawed at its heart, no matter the good intentions behind it.

We have people on this board who explicitly said that cutting off people in right lane is OK as part of KREP strategy.

if you've just passed someone, the distance between you and them is increasing, such that "cutting off" isn't really a concern.

This.

If someone has just passed me and then "cuts me off" by ducking back into the right lane again, I don't worry about it.  The other driver is obviously going faster than I am, which means it's only a matter of seconds before safe following distance is restored.  The alternative is often that an even faster, more impatient driver behind him ends up tail-gating at high speed in the left lane.  I'd rather allow a few-seconds-long shortened following distance in the slow lane than drawn-out tail-gating in the fast lane.  You might come back and say the third driver shouldn't be tail-gating in the first place, but that's out of the other two drivers' control.  Their responsibility is to make the highway safe, and the safest option often includes such a minor "cutting off."

And if traffic volumes are too high, everyone must move right and stop to let The Roadgeek pass?

If you had enough room to merge to the right, then traffic volumes weren't that high.

And this.

If traffic volumes are too high, then moving right isn't even an option.  But if someone even has the ability to overtake you on the right, then–four times out of five–you should have moved over to the right instead.  There are always exceptions (faster driver recently entered the highway from the right, and you were already in the left lane, etc), but everyone knows and understands that thick traffic means best practice can't always be followed.



Speaking of thick traffic...  One of the worst things you can do in a traffic jam is to suddenly jump over into another lane at 5 mph.  Doing so just causes everyone else in that lane to step on their brakes, and a sort of slack-action effect takes place.  The best practice for all involved is to just stay in your lane as much as possible, even if that means you personally end up losing some time or the left lane ends up being the slow lane.  So I am much more forgiving of left-lane campers in a traffic jam:  I'd rather they stay there than start hot-dogging from lane to lane and disrupt everyone else on the road.  Again, common sense dictates that some rules get fuzzy in thick traffic, and I don't think anyone on here is saying otherwise.

[bzakharin]

I think the problem with "slower traffic keep right" is mostly psychological. "Who are you calling slow?" "Keep right except to pass" doesn't have this problem.

[webny99]

I think the problem with "slower traffic keep right" is mostly psychological. "Who are you calling slow?" "Keep right except to pass" doesn't have this problem.

Well put - I hadn't thought of it like that. Inherently, no one likes to think that they're "slow" or "slower". The difference between not passing and being slower is extremely subtle, but you're probably more likely to be obligated to move right if signage uses the former "except to pass" terminology. It's less open for interpretation, too, since it's pretty clear cut whether you're actually passing or not.

On the other hand, being termed "slower" presents a more subjective (and perhaps borderline humiliating) message. The Ohio Turnpike is a classic example of the "slower traffic keep right" concept failing. Truckers are the only ones who can't possibly deny they're "slower" - so they're the only ones who use the right lane. Self-denial holds everyone else hostage in the middle and left lanes.

It's a mindset that would take massive amounts of signage, expenditure and enforcement to change, and I just don't see it happening.

[UCFKnights]

I don't understand the concept of this thread even. If I'm in the right lane because I'm not passing anyone, like I should be, is someone expecting me to pull into the left lane and wait behind the person? Or just slow down and pretend that the person in the left lane is actually in my lane like they should be?

The interstate nearest me is 3 lanes, and the locals all apparently think the right lane is only for accelerating upon entry and preparing to exit. Cars typically pull out of the right lane once they're at speed even if there is no one at all in front of them. By me utilizing the right lane, I usually never have to change my speed, whereas in the left lane, you're likely to have to speed up and slow down to deal with people trying to pass. Am I supposed to move over to the left lane, over the middle lane, to pass someone in the middle lane, or just stay in the right lane?

[bzakharin]

I don't understand the concept of this thread even. If I'm in the right lane because I'm not passing anyone, like I should be, is someone expecting me to pull into the left lane and wait behind the person? Or just slow down and pretend that the person in the left lane is actually in my lane like they should be?

The interstate nearest me is 3 lanes, and the locals all apparently think the right lane is only for accelerating upon entry and preparing to exit. Cars typically pull out of the right lane once they're at speed even if there is no one at all in front of them. By me utilizing the right lane, I usually never have to change my speed, whereas in the left lane, you're likely to have to speed up and slow down to deal with people trying to pass. Am I supposed to move over to the left lane, over the middle lane, to pass someone in the middle lane, or just stay in the right lane?

There are times when the left lane is slower moving than your intended speed, such that you would stay in the left (or middle) lane for extended periods of time, but has gaps large enough to complete a pass if necessary. I don't think anyone would disagree that if you are in the right lane and happen to pass someone in the left because they're moving slower than you are, you are doing anything wrong.

[kalvado]

I don't understand the concept of this thread even. If I'm in the right lane because I'm not passing anyone, like I should be, is someone expecting me to pull into the left lane and wait behind the person? Or just slow down and pretend that the person in the left lane is actually in my lane like they should be?

The interstate nearest me is 3 lanes, and the locals all apparently think the right lane is only for accelerating upon entry and preparing to exit. Cars typically pull out of the right lane once they're at speed even if there is no one at all in front of them. By me utilizing the right lane, I usually never have to change my speed, whereas in the left lane, you're likely to have to speed up and slow down to deal with people trying to pass. Am I supposed to move over to the left lane, over the middle lane, to pass someone in the middle lane, or just stay in the right lane?

I assume you're talking about an urban area with 3 lanes?
Over here, we have a 7-mile interstate stretch within urban area (which happens to be my daily commute road) with 7 exits, two of those being interchanges with another freeway - and a lot of traffic. If you head past the last of seven exits and insist on staying in right lane, you probably caused a few people to maneuver around you. If there are few such right-bound cars in a row, one can easily face a choice of stopping on a ramp and causing a backup (and hopefully no accident), or acceleration to 30-40 MPH above speed limit to jump ahead of such queue. So yes, there are times when right lane better be used as a ramp