Lane Discipline: How do you Drive?

[Thirdeye]

I tend to hang out in the middle lane if i'm not familiar with the area and I'm not sure what side the exit will be on, or if people are going way too slow in the right-most lane but people are going too fast in the left lane for me to be comfortable.

 

[Casio]

Being in Australia, I'll drive in whatever lane I feel like, overtaking and undertaking don't exist in my state. It's just called passing.

 

[GilesGuthrie]

I follow the Highway Code. I'm in the leftmost lane possible for the speed that I'm doing. Usually that means I'm over on the right.

Sometimes I'll be in the left lane, cruising along, and I'll come up to someone in the middle lane. Just me & him (or her), on the road alone. I have a real dilemma over whether to swing the car two lanes to the right to overtake on the 'proper side'. it's about 50:50 as to whether I'll go over or under a middle-laner.

 

[Omnis]

I haven't driven the highway yet, but I would stay on the right.

I'm usually on the right lane if there are no openings for people to enter the roadway. If there are openings on the right, I stay in the middle so I don't have to brake for people entering or exiting the roadway from the right side. So, most of the time I'm in the middle but I always do the speed limit. The lights here are timed for the speed limit.

 

[ExigeEvan]

On a motorway I stick to the left most lane possible unless over taking. Though the stretch of M4 is usually travel (and pretty often) is only 2 lanes so it's not all that hard to keep to.Having said that though, the M4 is pretty up hill and down dale in my area so the lorrys (lol) tend to lag quite abit on the up hill stretches.

Now duals, those are annoying, if it's a long stretch with slip roads then it's some rules applied but I can't deny I'm abit of a lane hogger when you approach a roundabout.

 

[GilesGuthrie]

I can't deny I'm abit of a lane hogger when you approach a roundabout.

Oh God that p***es me off! You're sitting there going "Yes, I know I'm only doing 60mph, but I'm not moving out of the way for you because I need to turn right at this roundabout that's a mile away". You make me so

 

[ExigeEvan]

Oh God that p***es me off! You're sitting there going "Yes, I know I'm only doing 60mph, but I'm not moving out of the way for you because I need to turn right at this roundabout that's a mile away". You make me so

Perhaps not a mile! But the "roundabout ahead, reduce speed" sign is pretty early as it's a downhill stretch. The reason I do it is because it's, IMO, hazardous trying to merge into traffic that is slowing, often at varying degrees causing bunching and gapping, while also keeping an eye on the guy infront who is braking sporadically cause he knows that you rarely have to stop on this roundabout but the guy infront doesn't know that!

 

[YSSMAN]

I haven't driven the highway yet, but I would stay on the right.

Really?

I don't think they're that "scary" down there. Actually, I was pleasantly surprised with the South Florida highway system.

===

That being said, I stay in the right lane and pass on the left... As I recall that is the legal requirement in the State of Michigan. However, I have a nasty habit of speeding no matter where I am, so, although I am in the right lane, I do occasionally pass cars in the left because of the speed I am carrying.

 

[Joey D]

That being said, I stay in the right lane and pass on the left... As I recall that is the legal requirement in the State of Michigan. However, I have a nasty habit of speeding no matter where I am, so, although I am in the right lane, I do occasionally pass cars in the left because of the speed I am carrying.

It's only a legal requirement on a four lane highway (two lanes in each direction). On a six or eight lane it isn't, at least that's what a Michigan State Trooper told me.

 

[buickgnx88]

Sometimes I'll be in the left lane, cruising along, and I'll come up to someone in the middle lane. Just me & him (or her), on the road alone. I have a real dilemma over whether to swing the car two lanes to the right to overtake on the 'proper side'. it's about 50:50 as to whether I'll go over or under a middle-laner.

So you'd cut behind them over to the rightmost lane, pass them, then cut back to the leftmost lane rather than just pass them on the leftmost lane? Even if that is proper it seems kind of weird.

 

[xXSilencerXx]

I'm usually driving on a three lane interstate, and since I like to cruise between 70 mph and 80 mph I am usually in the middle and passing on the left if a can. If the left is blocked I pass on the right.

Basically I'm as far to the right as I can be.

 

[Sage]

I’ve noticed a lot of references in this thread to a “middle” lane – are three-lane highways that common? It seems that every highway here is either 4+ lanes for busy areas or 2 lanes for rural areas.

 

[Joey D]

Most freeways around me are three lanes until you get out of what we consider South East lower Michigan, then they become two. The roads down river though and near Ann Arbor can be five or six lanes wide...which makes for some interesting speeds. The other day I was doing 115mph with the flow of traffic and getting passed by people in the far left lane that were easily in excess of 130mph.

 

[Danoff]

I answered that I stay in the "cruising lane" and pass in the "passing lane". In reality I'm almost always in the passing lane, but that's because I'm usually passing . If there were no cars on the road, I'd be all the way over in the slowest lane.

If I'm not in the "passing lane" I'm often in the "center lane" because I'm constantly passing traffic that is merging onto the freeway.

As proof that I act how I voted, when I drive long distances on interstates with little traffic, I will revert to cruising in the slow lane moving over only to pass trucks and then immediately back. This is because there are long distances where there is nobody I need to pass.

Edit: One additional point, I pass in the lane with the least traffic

 

[Keef]

Most freeways around me are three lanes until you get out of what we consider South East lower Michigan, then they become two. The roads down river though and near Ann Arbor can be five or six lanes wide...which makes for some interesting speeds. The other day I was doing 115mph with the flow of traffic and getting passed by people in the far left lane that were easily in excess of 130mph.

That's absolutely ludicrous.

Yes, Sage, three lane-wide freeways are very common in cities that aren't as stupendously large as doing 130 on the highway is stupendously...stupid. We've got one section of highway through downtown Dayton that is four lanes wide. It messes with people's brains.

 

[Brett]

Yes, Sage, three lane-wide freeways are very common in cities that aren't as stupendously large [. . .]

Most of Oklahoma City is three lanes. My entire commute to and from work is on a three lane interstate. There are a few parts that are four lanes and probably some five lanes, but they are mainly where multiple interstates meet. Mostly though, it is all three lane highway.

With that said, on my commute to work over the past few weeks, I have spent a bunch of my time in the far right lane, with a bit of time in the middle lane depending on how smoothly the right lane is moving. On my commute home on the other hand, I spend most of my time in the far left lane, with some time in the middle depending on how traffic is moving.

 

[Joey D]

That's absolutely ludicrous.

Yes, Sage, three lane-wide freeways are very common in cities that aren't as stupendously large as doing 130 on the highway is stupendously...stupid. We've got one section of highway through downtown Dayton that is four lanes wide. It messes with people's brains.

I agree it's not the smartest thing to do but it's how people drive, especially since there are no troopers around at all. It's not uncommon to see a Vette doing in excess of 150. I was surprised how fast I was going and slowed down to about 90 and got in the right lane which seems a safe enough speed. Even the semi's go 90-ish. I don't travel that way often because of the speed that takes place.

 

[xXSilencerXx]

I’ve noticed a lot of references in this thread to a “middle” lane – are three-lane highways that common? It seems that every highway here is either 4+ lanes for busy areas or 2 lanes for rural areas.

Most of the roads around me are two or four lane raods. I mostly drive North to school and the main interstate around here is a 3 lane insterstate and as you go norht there are less and less rural backwoods 2 lane roads most are 4 and 6.