Left lane driving. It’s something that is often discussed as though it is a simple courtesy to move out of the left lane for someone moving faster behind you. Many new drivers may not be aware of the courtesy until after they begin driving on highways and notice drivers behind them getting frustrated at them for staying in the left lane.
What many people do not realize though, is that in many states, driving in the left lane is illegal. It is not just a courtesy to move out of the left lane for someone wanting to go faster behind you. It is required and in some states, you may just get a ticket for sticking around in the left lane whether or not there are people behind you.
For those new to driving or those that have never realized this is a rule, when on a multi-lane highway, let’s say four lanes all going the same direction, the farthest left lane is intended for passing. This means that if you are driving in one of the middle lanes, but want to pass the person in front of you, you can drift over to the left lane to do that. When you decide to do so, you may slightly speed up, drift into the left lane and stay there until you are in front of the person you were trying to pass. Then, drift back into one of the middle lanes. This can get groggy if you see multiple people, slightly spaced apart that you want to pass, but it is best to air on the side of caution and drift back into the middle lane until you NEED to pass again. All while driving the speed limit, of course.
This method was created to help ease traffic jams and backups. Some people prefer to drive slightly slower than the speed limit and as long as it is not so slow that it becomes a safety issue, that is fine. They can do that in one of the right lanes. Back-ups generally happen when the left lane gets clogged with drivers staying there instead of just using it to pass. If the left lane was always clear, people could pass when they need to and faster cars would not have to weave around cars nearly as much as they have to when the left lane is clogged.
All states allow drivers to use the far left lane for passing. The issue comes when cars use the lane with no intent to pass the car in front of them. In many states this is illegal. However, in some states, it is passable to drive in the far left lane if no one is behind you or the roads are empty. It becomes an issue, and you can get ticketed in some states if you are blocking traffic behind you by staying in the left lane.
There are many rules and driving courtesies you have to learn when you get your license. However, many of them, like left lane driving, are road rules and not simple courtesies.
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