Driving Era: Where do you stand on Speed Limits in Fast Lanes?

[Walter White Walker]

I don't actually do that out of consideration for other drivers but people who tailgate can't actually drive. Three cars lengths is the minimum for a superhuman athlete to respond to events at highway speeds. If you drive less than a car length away you are asking to rear end someone, or worse.
The fact that people who tailgate think that someone imposing in their high speed joy ride for less than 10 seconds is a worse thing to do than actually endangering other drivers shows who the real problems are.

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Tailgating is stupid and dangerous. Not driving responsibly in the passing lane is little better, though. We've had emphasis patrols for several years in Washington state as cops pull people over for thinking they're the passing lane hall monitors and clog up traffic and piss everyone off behind them.

 

[blame space]

cars are bad

 

[Watevaman]

I was raised with the left/inside lane being a passing lane. No matter what speed you're going, if you're not actively passing someone in the lanes to your right (left in some countries), you should be "cruising" in the other lane on, for example, a four lane highway. I know this isn't always possible but, at a minimum, one lane should be passing the other. When you have people just cruising right next to each other, you open up opportunities for accidents.

I typically cruise around 15 over on my daily commute, because the roads and traffic flow are conducive to that. It gets adjusted when clumps occur or when weather gets rough. At this speed, I'm normally rolling with traffic.

 

[Karateka]

Tailgating is stupid and dangerous. Not driving responsibly in the passing lane is little better, though. We've had emphasis patrols for several years in Washington state as cops pull people over for thinking they're the passing lane hall monitors and clog up traffic and piss everyone off behind them.

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Only one of those people will cause an accident, the other will just annoy people with short tempers.

 

[pants]

Flow of traffic is king. Fast if its safe, 10 over if its not.

Car insurance companies have long since calculated that its safer if cars go fast in the passing lane, as long as its used properly and they move over when they're supposed to.

Going "slow," which in this case means not yielding to the faster vehicle, often leads to fast vehicles weaving/changing lanes. At scale this causes more accidents because it messes with the flow of traffic, and the more unpredictability the more accidents.

I'm wildly neurotic about this. I've done so much commuting you cannot change my mind at this point. Just move over if you have the room but are afraid to go 80+

 

[David Incorporated Esq.]

Only one of those people will cause an accident, the other will just annoy people with short tempers.

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Both of those are problems that can lead to accidents. Aggravation and frustration can cause people to make poor decisions, no need to instigate those feelings in others through general ignorance or to assert a feeling of superiority.

 

[Karateka]

Both of those are problems that can lead to accidents. Aggravation and frustration can cause people to make poor decisions, no need to instigate those feelings in others through general ignorance or to assert a feeling of superiority.

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So we should blame someone for someone else's mistakes because they made them feel that way by driving at a perfectly legal speed? Seems like a way for people to feel fine with driving unsafely and blaming it on other people to me.

 

[Booshka]

Don't act like you care about the environment if you drive over 65mph btw.

 

[Joni]

Both of those are problems that can lead to accidents. Aggravation and frustration can cause people to make poor decisions, no need to instigate those feelings in others through general ignorance or to assert a feeling of superiority.

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If flow of traffic makes you angry, go see a psychiatrist.

 

[Kitsunebaby]

If you're not passing the people to your right, you need to fucking move right. If you're in the left lane and someone driving faster comes up behind you, move right (if it's safe to do so) and let them pass before getting back in the left lane. It ain't fucking hard.

If you're the kind of asshole who tries to police other people's speed and prevent them from passing due to some weird self-righteous ego, I hope that awful, awful things happen to you.

 

[Joni]

If you're not passing the people to your right, you need to fucking move right. If you're in the left lane and someone driving faster comes up behind you, move right (if it's safe to do so) and let them pass before getting back in the left lane. It ain't fucking hard.

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Unless you are passing someone, in which case the person behind you can wait because you are doing the explicit purpose.

 

[Dhx]

So we should blame someone for someone else's mistakes because they made them feel that way by driving at a perfectly legal speed? Seems like a way for people to feel fine with driving unsafely and blaming it on other people to me.

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You're certainly entitled to a fair share of the blame, yes. In reality, you're contributing to the conditions that lead to accidents. You don't live in a vacuum. There is a reason it's illegal in most states.

State "keep right" laws

www.mit.edu

You can't cling to the legal speed limit while breaking a separate law. Note that most of these statutes refer to the "normal" speed of traffic, not the "legal" speed of traffic

 

[David Incorporated Esq.]

Hogging the left lane is the adult version of "I'm not touching you! I'm not touching you!"

 

[qaopjlll]

Don't act like you care about the environment if you drive over 65mph btw.

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You realize electric vehicles are a thing, right

Also of note, the US instituted reduced speed limits in the 70s in an effort to reduce oil consumption (not because they were environmentally conscious... they just wanted to give less money to the Saudis) but found that this only reduced oil consumption by 0.5-1%. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Maximum_Speed_Law

 

[sirap]

Stick to the speed limit.

 

[AppleKid]

FWIW I would have voted for a third option that is no more than 20+ as I don't feel the sky's the limit but also feel 10+ is a bit stricter than I'd typically advocate for as sometimes the flow of the fast lane is faster than that or you need to go over 10+ to pass. I typically just go with the flow

 

[Anko]

I don't go past the speed limit on the overtaking lane myself, but if I'm there at the limit and someone else is faster I just move out. Their freedom to speed like a dick head and it's not my job to police them. The alternative would be that they try to weave to get past you and that just makes it even more unsafe.

 

[OrangeNova]

Keep with traffic, but also do your best to maintain the speed limit.

I love when I see people bitch about how poorly timed the lights in the city are, when they're timed for going the speed limit, not 5 or 10 over.

 

[julia crawford]

Uhh unless someone is giving birth or about to die or something, why go over the speed limit?

 

[Dultimate]

Why some of us feel we need to be the arbiters of the law is beyond me. The self righteousness is annoying.

The left lane is for passing. Slower traffic keep right is the sign that is posted all over the interstate. It's says 'slower traffic'. It's not for you to decide what the limits should be. If you're doing 90 and someone pulls up behind you doing 100, you're the slower traffic. Move the fuck over!

There's nothing inherently wrong with driving fast. It's not the speed that kills you, it's the stopping. Using the picture in the OP the drivers behind the car on the left are more than likely going to weave around that car. The constant weaving is more dangerous than driving "fast" in a straight line. The front left driver is the bad person in this situation, not the people behind them.

In a few they will eventually catch up to driver on the right and then they are going to clog up both lanes for a good stretch of road. That is being a fucking prick.

Why you shouldn't drive slowly in the left lane

 

[Nepenthe]

Uhh unless someone is giving birth or about to die or something, why go over the speed limit?

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Because speed limits are arbitrarily slow considering modern car builds and road conditions.

I'm going to echo the sentiment that people who treat the speed limit as the Holy Bible need to stay as far the fuck right as possible. Don't be in the way.

 

[Arilian]

Uhh unless someone is giving birth or about to die or something, why go over the speed limit?

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To prove your worth as the King of the Road, obviously 🤓

It's not for you to decide what the limits should be

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If I'm already at the speed limit while passing someone slower, why would I go faster ? Especially on a freeway, where no one is coming in front of me...

In France, passing someone must be done while respecting the speed limit.

 

[julia crawford]

Because speed limits are arbitrarily slow considering modern car builds and road conditions.

I'm going to echo the sentiment that people who treat the speed limit as the Holy Bible need to stay as far the fuck right as possible. Don't be in the way.

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I have no idea how it works in the US, but afaik you're always supposed to be in the rightmost lane unless you're passing, the road's got a specific lane for certain vehicles, when you need to move because you're going into an exit, or other specific situations. So... i already keep to the right all the time.

Anyway. This seems like some people just want to go fast. If it doesn't harm anyone, i guess i don't care. But i would not be in that car and honestly i'm given to think that that's not the kind of person i'd want to befriend.

 

[Nepenthe]

I have no idea how it works in the US, but afaik you're always supposed to be in the rightmost lane unless you're passing, the road's got a specific lane for certain vehicles, when you need to move because you're going into an exit, or other specific situations.

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This is pretty much how it's supposed to be in the US.The issue we deal with is that Speed Limit Nerds think they're entitled to be to the left of faster moving traffic just because they're following the speed limit.

I hate them. I hate them so much. 🙃

 

[Zelas]

Keep right. Problem solved.

 

[Arttemis]

Stay in the right lane unless you're passing someone. That's an enforced law in parts of Europe, and I wish it were here, too.

 

[Dultimate]

This is pretty much how it's supposed to be in the US.The issue we deal with is that Speed Limit Nerds think they're entitled to be to the left of faster moving traffic just because they're following the speed limit.

I hate them. I hate them so much. 🙃

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This right here. Hate them oh so much! lol

If I'm already at the speed limit while passing someone slower, why would I go faster ? Especially on a freeway, where no one is coming in front of me...

In France, passing someone must be done while respecting the speed limit.

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You're breaking another law by trying to be the Speed Limit Master. Slower traffic is supposed to keep right. It's the law!!

 

[Arilian]

You're breaking another law by trying to be the Speed Limit Master. Slower traffic is supposed to keep right. It's the law!!

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I'm allowed to pass someone slower than me while respecting the speed limit. In fact, I must respect it even when passing someone and a french cop will not blink and will fine me if I'm over the speed limit passing a truck or a slower car.

 

[Violence Jack]

Go with the flow of traffic in the right lane until you need to pass. My issue are the assholes who run up on you doing 100 while you're waiting to get back into the right lane safely. And if there's someone not moving over to prove some point, then that just gets people hit and pissed off when the speeders go weaving in and out of the right lanes.


Also worth noting that there are exits from the left lane too, and if I need to take that exit then the wannabe Nascar drivers can just wait until after the exit to go back to their wreckless, irresponsible driving.

Needless to say, I have no sympathy at all for speeders but even less for those who don't move out of the right lane. Both instances have caused me to get hit.

 

[Mammoth Jones]

Only one of those people will cause an accident, the other will just annoy people with short tempers.

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Both cause accidents. One just gets to feel smug just before it.

 

[Karateka]

You're certainly entitled to a fair share of the blame, yes. In reality, you're contributing to the conditions that lead to accidents. You don't live in a vacuum. There is a reason it's illegal in most states.

State "keep right" laws

www.mit.edu

You can't cling to the legal speed limit while breaking a separate law. Note that most of these statutes refer to the "normal" speed of traffic, not the "legal" speed of traffic

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The intent is to allow people to pass slower drivers at legal speeds, obviously, as going over the speed limIt is a citable offence at any time.

 

[Dhx]

The intent is to allow people to pass slower drivers at legal speeds, obviously, as going over the speed limIt is a citable offence at any time.

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This is not true in most states. Check the link I posted.

The Uniform Vehicle Code states:

Upon all roadways any vehicle proceeding at less than the normal speed of traffic at the time and place and under the conditions then existing shall be driven in the right-hand lane then available for traffic ...

This law refers to the "normal" speed of traffic, not the "legal" speed of traffic. The 60 MPH driver in a 55 MPH zone where everybody else is going 65 MPH must move right.

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It is undisputable that driving slower than the flow of traffic in the left lane leads to accidents, regardless of adherence to the speed limit.

 

[Radd Redd]

My sister when she was a teen got pulled over on a 2 lane road because she was in the left lane. I SHIT YOU NOT, it looked like a funeral procession behind us because my sister was afraid of getting a ticket from the state trooper right behind her so she kept pace with the truck on her right. This went on for 10 minutes or more until the cops lights came on and pulled her over.

She got yelled at for 5 minutes straight about how she caused so much traffic BECAUSE she was Impeding the flow of Traffic. No one could pass because her and the truck were going the speed limit of 55 mph. Imagine this traffic going miles because no one could pass the truck or my sister matching its speed.

All you people whining about speeding is fine. No one cares, just keep to the right and let faster traffic go past you. Like me driving in NOVA. Everyone is speeding in the morning and afternoon. I can't because I want to keep my Drive Safe and Save discount so I keep my slow self to the right lane and stay around 5+ over the speed limit or less. You know what? It's been fine because all the speedster fly right past me and I keep my discounts and they can save a few minutes going 10+ over.

 

[Karateka]

This is not true in most states. Check the link I posted.



It is undisputable that driving slower than the flow of traffic in the left lane leads to accidents, regardless of adherence to the speed limit.

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It's not indisputable. In any case the one causing the accident is the person crashing into the person not the person driving slow. This kind of justification is like saying that someone who makes someone angry is responsible for that person punching them or stabbing them.
Dangerous driving causes accidents, not driving slow. Driving slow is annoying, at worst, but will not cause anyone who is driving safely to get into an accident.

 

[Cipherr]

I drive the speed limit itself, usually a couple mph below. I don't bother passing or using passing lanes though, I just leave early enough to get where I need to be. (I also work from home so I have no commute).

I never bothered trying to rationalize it, or add one of those "unwritten" rules. Just use the speed limit. Seems simple enough. Passing lane is for passing when other vehicles (like me) are in the other lanes driving below said limit etc.

 

[BMW]

Flow of traffic is king. Fast if its safe, 10 over if its not.

Car insurance companies have long since calculated that its safer if cars go fast in the passing lane, as long as its used properly and they move over when they're supposed to.

Going "slow," which in this case means not yielding to the faster vehicle, often leads to fast vehicles weaving/changing lanes. At scale this causes more accidents because it messes with the flow of traffic, and the more unpredictability the more accidents.

I'm wildly neurotic about this. I've done so much commuting you cannot change my mind at this point. Just move over if you have the room but are afraid to go 80+

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Exactly. When I see someone death gripping the steering wheel going below the speed limit on the highway, I get really scared lol. Low confidence drivers are extremely dangerous IMO

You realize electric vehicles are a thing, right

Also of note, the US instituted reduced speed limits in the 70s in an effort to reduce oil consumption (not because they were environmentally conscious... they just wanted to give less money to the Saudis) but found that this only reduced oil consumption by 0.5-1%. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Maximum_Speed_Law

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Hot takes are very important.