some years ago, a friend of mine who had been in involved in a tragic highway accident shared with me that she feels that traveling in the right lane is safer. Reason? Because there is normally a shoulder that you can pull off on if an emergency traffic situation occurs whereas the left lane normally doesn't have a shoulder to pull off onto.

While I favor skills testing for ALL drivers, every 2,4, or 5 years, it won't solve the DB problem. The DB most likely have excellent technical driving skills. They are low on social skills--as in "I am vastly more important than you, and my time is vastly more important than yours, so I have a right; no an obligation to drive this way." maybe they should be required to smoke marijuana before driving.

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1982 300SD " Wotan" ..On the road as of Jan 8, 2007 with Historic Tags

She's right.

However, if you maintain 200', your situation is always manageable. Sure, plenty of DB's take your space if they can.............let 'em.

I've been traveling the center lane doing precisely 62mph. It works surprisingly well. Very few merge from the left and merging from the right is limited by the slower traffic that is typically on the right.

The benefit is that you can swing either left or right, if you must.

BC, we are in the same metropolitan area where yes, there is a significant shortage of space.
I still have to maintain that it's not correct to do 65 in the left lane and not move over into the middle that is doing 60 when there is someone trying to do 80 behind you, UNLESS there are a bunch of cars, all doing 65 and indeed moving along passing all the others in the middle lane.
If that is the case, DB behind you 4 feet from your bumper is definitely in the wrong, but physics being what they are, I would err on the side of caution and move over to the right to at least let the DB pass when an appropriate opportunity presented itself, as in a big enough space on the right that the driver you would be going in front of would not have a need to even tap their brakes if you do your slight deceleration and proper signaling.

This allows DB to pass, be away from you, and if done properly, only a likely fraction of a second is taken off your arrival time. DB is satisfied and his rage is directed away from you.

It's not an obligation, but keeps the idiots away from you, which I think is more desirable.

Now, the DBs who pass in the right lane are a whole other matter.
In those cases, I do move in to prevent them from doing so. Kind of douchy, I'll admit, but F 'em.
If they want to pass, they should do it in the left, even if they can't because someone is not keeping right, except to pass. Sucks, but that's how it is.

To be clear, I'm not talking about when there is a chronic situation of a left laner not doing what they are supposed to but when most everyone is doing the speed limit or above and everyone in the left lane is indeed passing those in the middle lane at a decent pace, but when that is all the case and some DB wants to go 80+ in the relatively open right lane.

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85' 300D No inspection, No registration fees, Cheap insurance
"If my calculations are correct, when this baby hits 88 miles per hour, you're going to see some serious %$&^."

I agree, Friday people get desparate and impatient. I was scared pretty bad by some lunatic in a small subaru hatchback yesterday. Heavy traffic driving, with a fully loaded cargo van, I was moving about 60 in the middle lane, had just passed a semi in the slow lane, and had a semi behind me keeping pace. Left lane (3 lanes) there was a pretty constant stream of passing traffic going about 70.

Went to move into the right lane to take the next exit, but completely unknown to me, guy in the subaru was trying to beat the left lane stream by darting around the middle lane semi in front of the slow lane semi, flooring it, and regaining the fast lane. Wrench in the works is he had no idea I had just moved into that lane, and was moving with at least 20mph overtake with no warning and JUST missed my van with a shower of dirt from the shoulder, passing on the right off pavement.

At least he had quick reflexes, had he hit me, with a loaded van, I would have definitely tipped over in front of the two semis and following traffic.

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You're probably right.............it simply annoys the hell out of me that we must yield to their god given right to go 80mph just to catch the pack that is doing not more than 70mph. That 70mph pack will definitely slow to 65..........might even drop to 60............because the DB's are following at 10 feet and one of them gets scared.

I consider it a service to the population to regulate the speed in the left lane so that the accordion brake result does not occur.

I did it today on the way into the city. Took the left lane at about 10 miles from the city line and held 65 mph all the way in with good following distance. Not a damn thing that any of the DB's could do about it...........the center lane was full and moving slower. Worked very well.

I would be rather upset if you did that in front of me.

New Jersey has the right idea (Did I really just say that?):

Keep right: New Jersey wants slow drivers to get out of the way - latimes.com

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Whoever said there's nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes never had a cheap Jaguar.

83 300D Turbo with manual conversion, early W126 vented front rotors and H4 headlights 401,xxx miles
08 Suzuki GSX-R600 M4 Slip-on 26,xxx miles
88 Jaguar XJS V12 94,xxx miles. Work in progress.
99 Mazda Miata 183,xxx miles.

If I understand BC correctly, he was in the left lane doing at or above the posted speed limit, the center and right lanes were full of cars going significantly slower than him.

If that's indeed the case, why would you think that he's in the wrong?

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Just say "NO" to Ethanol - Drive Diesel

Mitchell Oates
Mooresville, NC
'87 300D 212K miles
'87 300D 151K miles - R.I.P. 12/08
'05 Jeep Liberty CRD 67K miles
Grumpy Old Diesel Owners Club

He didn't say what the speed limit was. If he was at or over, then I would only be mildly annoyed. I personally like a steady 5-10 over in most places, but I don't necessarily expect everyone to break the law.

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Whoever said there's nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes never had a cheap Jaguar.

83 300D Turbo with manual conversion, early W126 vented front rotors and H4 headlights 401,xxx miles
08 Suzuki GSX-R600 M4 Slip-on 26,xxx miles
88 Jaguar XJS V12 94,xxx miles. Work in progress.
99 Mazda Miata 183,xxx miles.

Of that I have no doubt.

You are in the group that must close the left lane gap if it is more than two car lengths. The fact that the left lane can NEVER sustain 70 mph for more than a few miles escapes you. A steady 65mph (+10 going to +15 at the NYC line) is simply impossible for you to tolerate.

You need to get to your destination one minute before I do.

I get it.

We know what you are.

In reality he will get there about 10 seconds earlier!!! Some one else will slow him down, they always do.
Or he will not get there at all ~ an accident going some place to happen !!!!

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Grumpy Old Diesel Owners Club group

I no longer question authority, I annoy authority. More effect, less effort....

1967 230-6 auto parts car. rust bucket.
1980 300D now parts car 800k miles
1984 300D 500k miles
1987 250td 160k miles English import
2001 jeep turbo diesel 130k miles
1998 jeep tdi ~ followed me home. Needs a turbo.
1968 Ford F750 truck. 6-354 diesel conversion.
Other toys ~J.D.,Cat & GM ~ mainly earth moving

On the interstates, I just follow trucks. They don't like to brake much or have to shift so they keep a steady speed. Bonus is that even at a safe distance behind a semi, there is usually still an aerodynamic advantage (slightly better mpg...obviously not as much as you would get by tailing but still not bad). They're often more conscientious and aware of their surroundings as well.

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TC
Current stable:
- 2004 Mazda RALLYWANKEL
- 2007 Saturn sky redline
- 2004 Explorer...under surgery.

Past: 135i, GTI, 300E, 300SD, 300SD, Stealth

I've tried it as well. It's fine if you want a leisurely drive without any DB's getting in front. That is something they won't bother with because the truck is in the way.

The problem with this approach is that you can't make decent time. The truck always slows a bit on upgrades and always slows for other truck traffic in the center and right lanes. I end up passing them in the left..............sooner or later.

If you want a challenge, try to follow the truck at about 25 feet. Quite a bit of fuel savings.........but, you've got to be continually on the game. For me it's not worth it anymore.

Ohhh, talk about something that will drive a group of DB's absolutely nuts....

A group of 3 or more semis on the interstate, and just as a groups of DB's comes screaming up in the left lane, Tail End Charlie pulls out to pass the other semis - at a sedate 1/2 mph difference in speed - such that it takes him 3 to 5 miles or more to get around the other trucks and back in the right hand lane.

Meanwhile, the DB's stack up behind him like cordwood, scant feet off the end of his trailer and from each other, just like they were crammed onto a Seattle ferry. And they'll run like that for miles, an accident just waiting to happen, until the truck moves over and they go roaring off again.

Methinks that half the time the truckers do this on purpose, when they spot or get word that a group of these morons is coming up on them.

Me? When I come up on this situation and see that one truck pull out to pass, I'll bump the cruise control down a couple notches and drop in behind the end truck, let the DB's start piling up in the left lane and just sit back and enjoy the show.

When the passing semi gets back over and all the DB's have screamed off into the sunset, then I'll pull out and let those 4 Italian squirrels under the hood do their thing, sail on by the trucks at a decent passing speed and go on my merry way.

__________________
Just say "NO" to Ethanol - Drive Diesel

Mitchell Oates
Mooresville, NC
'87 300D 212K miles
'87 300D 151K miles - R.I.P. 12/08
'05 Jeep Liberty CRD 67K miles
Grumpy Old Diesel Owners Club