Lane Discipline: How do you Drive?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Joey D
  • 47 comments
  • 3,146 views

What is your lane discipline?

  • I stay in the cruising lane and pass in the passing lane.

    Votes: 21 50.0%

  • I keep to the centre lane if there is one, passing either right or left.

    Votes: 6 14.3%

  • I stay passing all the time and pass in the cruising lane if need be.

    Votes: 2 4.8%

  • I drive in whatever lane suits me at the time, whether I'm passing or not.

    Votes: 8 19.0%

  • Other; please explain.

    Votes: 5 11.9%
  • Total voters
    42
Joey D

Joey D

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After some brief related discussion in the General Questions thread I figured this would make a good topic to go with my "indicator usage" and "fog lamps" thread that I've made in the past. This one should be pretty straight forward I hope.

When on the road, which lane do you typically drive in?

Me I always stay right and pass in the left lane, I will also get over if I can for merging traffic. I will always get back into the right lane though after I've finished my maneuver. I'm seeing more and more people around here (many from out of state, but still some from Michigan) cruise in the left lane at 60-65mph. Not only do I find this incredibly rude but dangerous as well. I fully believe people that do that should be ticketed, if you are going to just cruise get in the right lane so those of us who want to pass you properly may, or don't use the freeway but rather county roads where you can go 60mph without a problem.
 
I USUALLY stay right. The issue comes when I'm driving through an area with a large number of interchanges: then staying left is usually more prudent, due to the sheer number of cars merging.

drivers don't seem to care much anymore about which side they pass on, either, at least, in Illinois. I've been passed on the right, left, with someone straddling two lanes (once, was forced off the road,) etc. people tend to drive in the left lane or right lane, and just pass people in the clear lane.

One of the problems with my commutes in the past has been the fact that I've had to drive on a highway with stoplights on it. a 4-lane highway...with stoplights. This means one has to get into the left-hand lane well ahead of time, especially during morning rush, in order to avoid getting caught on the wrong side of the road for a left turn. I met one lady who wasn't too thrilled, but, for the most part, people would just pass.

What about flashing the high beams for a pass? No-one else I've met does it, although from time to time I have.
 
The trip to work can be incredibly annoying if you're in the lane with pot-holes. I drive in whatever lane, (which is usually the right-hand side, which should only be for overtaking), plus I like pissing off the n00bs who want to speed.:lol: Not to mention you get the idiots in the left hand lane also doing 75-80 in a 100 zone.:grumpy:
 
Oh oops I forgot to take into account those countries that drive on the other side of the road, maybe a mod could edit the poll for me to make it more international.
 
i drive like a washingtonian. i try to stay left and move right when cars behind me are traveling at a greater speed. (something i learned in california, who would have thought you could learn any sort of courtesy in california?) but we have an undeveloped highway system and a wide variety of drivers here, so the rules of the road are not yet established. people traveling above 70 rarely find the left lane but somehow the cars going 60 do. if i need to pass on the right i will. and since no one lane is ever going the same pace, i will have to weave occasionally. it also depends on what car im driving. in the escort i will stay in one lane regardless, unless someone id really going slow. i try not to be a douche bag in the z, but sometimes, it happens.
 
I do 90% of my driving in city with fairly lots of traffic. I usually weave in and out of lanes depending which lane is faster (and by faster, I mean the lane that is doing closer to speed limit of 60kmh). When I drive on a less busy road, if I happen to be in the left lane or passing lane as they call it, if there is someone that appears to go faster than me and I don't need to make a left turn anytime soon and there isn't slow traffic on the right lane, then I'll move over. Usually I move over if I see a fancier car than mine that wants to pass on the 80km/h city "highway".
 
I stay in the centre lane on motorways, or the right most centre lane when it's a 4 lane motorway then I move to the right lane to pass if I can't pass in the lane I'm in.
 
Dave A
I stay in the centre lane on motorways, or the right most centre lane when it's a 4 lane motorway then I move to the right lane to pass if I can't pass in the lane I'm in.
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Why do you stay in the middle lane and not on the left lane (assuming you're from the UK, which I am guessing)? Are you one of those people who blatently stay on the middle lane all the time, even when the motorway happens to be clear of traffic for half a mile?

Also, I've never understood why people still stick to the "3 lane motorway" mentality when the motorway has widened to four or five lanes wide! Aren't they're supposed to move to the left-most lane? And stay there untill they need to overtake? Then move to a correct lane to overtake then move back into the correct left-most lane? It's so annoying seeing the taxpayer's money being wasted on unused lanes on motorway when everyone else seems rather content to just waste their time and money creating traffic for no apparent reason other than habit. And inattention.

Occasionally I will admit I've had undertaken people (occasionally!) due to frustration at traffic and the "sheep" mentality that seems to occur when it is not needed. And I had been running late at that time. I will admit it's dangerous. But also found it faintly amusing its usually a case of a car going like 2 mph faster than the overtaken car that creates the traffic in the first place.

I generally always try to stick to the left-most lane as the law states and will move over if there's a faster car wanting to get by as there's no point in being a jackass for a few more second to that person as sooner or later they will make a move that will be dangerous to them, you and other people.
 
Dave A
I stay in the centre lane on motorways, or the right most centre lane when it's a 4 lane motorway then I move to the right lane to pass if I can't pass in the lane I'm in.
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Submerged
Why do you stay in the middle lane and not on the left lane (assuming you're from the UK, which I am guessing)? Are you one of those people who blatently stay on the middle lane all the time, even when the motorway happens to be clear of traffic for half a mile?
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Indeed.

*sharpens swords for Dave*
 
Yep, I've never understood anyone who stays in the middle lane for no apparent reason. It's irritating more than anything.
 
I hang out in the middle lane for my interstate cruising. I'm doing 75-78 in a 70, so if people don't like me there, they can kiss my ass and pick another lane.
 
I used to drive predominantly in the 2nd lane, and just use the 1st lane for passing (sometimes cruising if I wanted to latch onto a group of fasties).

Now though I try really hard to conserve gas, so sometimes I’ll even stay in the 3rd lane, assuming there aren’t too many tractor trailers. If there are tractor trailers jockeying for position, I’ll increase my speed and cruise in the 2nd lane.
 
I think an interesting question to be answered by everyone posting in this thread is whether you are allowed to drive where you want in your specific state / country, or if there's a law telling you where to drive. As far as I know with my limited knowledge of the USA, I thought you can choose your lanes freely. I'll gladly stand corrected if that knowledge is false though.

In Germany, there's a law that you drive on the rightmost lane when it's free and only move to the other lanes to overtake. Unfortunately, there's quite a bunch of motorists ignoring that rule and constantly using the middle lane on the 3 lane Autobahn for no apparent reason.
 
the Interceptor
I think an interesting question to be answered by everyone posting in this thread is whether you are allowed to drive where you want in your specific state / country, or if there's a law telling you where to drive. As far as I know with my limited knowledge of the USA, I thought you can choose your lanes freely.

In Germany, there's a law that you drive on the rightmost lane when it's free and only move to the other lanes to overtake. Unfortunately, there's quite a bunch of motorists ignoring that rule and constantly using the middle lane on the 3 lane Autobahn for no apparent reason.
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We can drive in any lane we so please, but Semi's must stay in the right lane(s).
 
On a 2 lane, I stay in the right lane unless I need to pass, which happens often because people love to drive 5-10 under the speed limit. On a 3 or 4 lane, I stay in the middle, especially on the interstate. No one to get stuck behind in the far right lane and I can do the speed limit, or 5-10 over without getting rear ended by the people doing 15-20 over in the far left lane. I also like to stay in the middle because I can stay a constant speed and not have to change lanes/slow down to let merging traffic from on ramps onto the interstate.
 
I drive in whatever lane suits me at the time, whether I'm passing or not.
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Depending on what time it is, if the commute lane is open or not, I go wherever the flow of traffic is (three lanes). If im only on a 2 lane highway,again, it depends on the speed of the other traffic. If everyone in the right lane is doing ~60, ill move to the left lane and do 65-70, or more.Im in northern CA and people get pulled over for doing 10 over the limit, but most people do ~80
 
Submerged
Why do you stay in the middle lane and not on the left lane (assuming you're from the UK, which I am guessing)? Are you one of those people who blatently stay on the middle lane all the time, even when the motorway happens to be clear of traffic for half a mile?
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I can't recall the last time I was driving on a motorway that was clear for 100 yards let alone half a mile, in the day anyway. I'm not saying I am always in the middle and that sticking to is a rule that isn't to be broken and I'm never just cruising in the left. If there's no traffic in the left then I'm not averse to driving in it. But as a general trend, during most of my motorway journeys I don't find myself in it. It's more to do with the times of day I tend to travel, it's nearly all work related and the motorways around and near Manchester that I tend to use most are always bogged down with merging traffic and commercial vehicles down the left. It's jsut not possbile to drive at 70mph in the left lane, you can merge into it but you won't be doing 70, so you find yourself in the middle lane non-stop overtaking traffic in the left lane. Like I said, it has more to do with travelling at certain busier hours than a set mentality that I adhere to regardless of the motorway being clear or not.
 
damn voted wrong.

Slow lane if there is no one to pass. If there is someone to pass then fast lane. Hate middle lane huggers.
 
I stay to the right. On any road around. But thats because I ride a bicycle. I do ride across traffic at 30mph to get into turn lanes though.

Although if I were to be driving. I'd probablly be in the slow lane for quite a while. Because I'd be learning how to drive. But I guess, later on, once I've gotten driving down it would depend on what car I'm driving. All the cars in my families arsenal of vehicles have the capability to do the speeds necessary to drive in the fast lane. It would just depend on what I'm doing, where I'm going, and how fast I want to get to said place.
 
Through the city's highways I try to stay in the middle lane. That way I'm out of the way of cars entering the highway and faster cars behind me can pass me on the right. I always try to pass on the right. I'll also cruise in the left lane if I'm going faster than everyone else.

I've been known to be offended by people cruising in the fast lane while going slower than myself. I remember one particular time when I was running about 5mph faster than a Buick, and just as I passed it in the middle lane my mind clicked and I said "Tyler. Do you see an opportunity?" He read my mind. So I deliberately slowed down to let them pass, then I moved over behind them, caught up and poked my head around which got him to move over into the middle lane. Then I went ahead, moved into the middle lane like usual, and went on down the road with a sense of accomplishment. Beyond that, my cousin and I have actually teamed up via walkie-talkie to coerce someone out of the fast lane. He blocked the right lane because of all the unmotivated people taking the easy pass to the right, while I bickered and complained behind the straggler until he moved over. And after that everybody's trip went a lot smoother.

You can call me a trouble maker, but I least I don't road rage. When you start forcing people to move you start causing problems. Funnily enough, the people that aren't cooperating with other drivers and are making it difficult for everyone else to drive properly are the ones who get mad at me. Huh.
 
Bones Brigade
i drive like a washingtonian. i try to stay left and move right when cars behind me are traveling at a greater speed. (something i learned in california, who would have thought you could learn any sort of courtesy in california?) but we have an undeveloped highway system and a wide variety of drivers here, so the rules of the road are not yet established. people traveling above 70 rarely find the left lane but somehow the cars going 60 do. if i need to pass on the right i will. and since no one lane is ever going the same pace, i will have to weave occasionally. it also depends on what car im driving. in the escort i will stay in one lane regardless, unless someone id really going slow. i try not to be a douche bag in the z, but sometimes, it happens.
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Ditto. On busy two lane roads, I camp out in the left lane in a stack of cars going 70 and pass on the right where necessary. When there are more lanes, I'm in the one going fastest or the one with the biggest gap I can get to. And also similarly, I'm very aggressive in the GTI and not at all in the Volvo. I'm a little more responsible when there aren't too many cars around where I have no problem cruising in the right lane.

I guess we have our own system here and it works for everybody but screws you if you're keeping right except to pass.
 
I am going to go with other because most of my driving now is during the busiest parts of the day and I go with whatever lane is moving fastest, which is either the middle lane or the left lane. Though, that is also not the complete truth either because just yesterday most of my commute to work was spent in the right lane because of it actually traveling at the speed limit. Today on the other hand, I tried that and it was moving below it, so I moved over to the middle lane.

Basically, in the mornings I just go mainly with the flow of traffic and whatever lane is the most comfortable to drive in those conditions. Usually it ends up being the middle lane, as it is traveling near or just above the speed limit and moving a bit faster than the right lane, but not at the speed of the left lane.

On my commutes home, I go with the middle or far left lane depending on how traffic is flowing.

When I am not in traffic, I tend to stick to the right lane unless I am passing. There have been times when I have been the pacesetter and thus, put myself in the left lane because of the rapid succession of passes.

Really, I tend to stay to the middle or right lane, unless I am passing. I go with the middle lane if traffic in the right lane is moving too slowly and I go with the right lane if traffic is moving at a good pace or there is little traffic.

What an almost mess of a post! 👍 :lol:
 
Thanks for fixing the poll to be more international.
 
forza2.0
damn voted wrong.

Slow lane if there is no one to pass. If there is someone to pass then fast lane. Hate middle lane huggers.
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No such thing as "slow" and "fast" lanes...
 
Generally I stay in the left (passing) lane unless someone comes behind me going faster, then I move to the right. Otherwise I stay in the lane that is on the side of the road that I'll be turning off of.
 
Depends how fast traffic is. I generally try to keep left and pass right.

But, I do live in Los Angeles. Fools to the left of me, Jokers to the right, a**holes all around.
 
Everyone around me ignores the lanes rules. As such, I take whatever lane neccesary to overtake. When uninhibited by slower drivers, I will stick to the right lane. I'm also constantly watching for people wanting to overtake at a faster rate than I - No reason to hold them up if I can duck behind a car in the right lane and then back into the left.
 
I'm a pretty fast driver... not super fast, but usually 10mph over highway speed limits. I'm all about getting to where I'm going, no meandering around. I stick the left (passing) lane as soon as I can get there to cover as much distance in the less amount of time possible (but at a practical and controllable speed), since I've got a 33 mile commute to work everyday.

I'll get into the slower lanes when I slow down and am about to exit, and I'll start transitioning gradually, even miles before my exit. I hate it when people use the fast lane to speed up to their exits and then think they can cut through 5 lanes.

I'll also never use right lanes to pass people in the passing lane. People seem to think they can do that all they want, but ultimately people don't expect that and some close calls happen because of it. As if the fast lane isn't already fast enough, lets go speed through the slow lanes to get around them... makes sense right? lol

There are some exceptions... like if someone is being slow and not moving over, and if the space allows me to, I'll overtake someone in the fast lane to get back up to speed and continue on. 270 and I-25 is a good example of this, because people have to move into what would be the fast lane to exit, so I run across some super slow people.
 

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