What is your "fast lane" policy?

There's a big difference in my head if I want to drive 5 miles faster under the 75 mile speed limit. I get bothered if the road ahead is clear and I feel like the driver wants to be lord of the road. When the road ahead is clear, anyone driving at the speed limit or slower in the unofficial speed lane doesn't make sense to me.

OTOH, If he's driving 80 or faster and I have no emphasis on time, then I'll stay behind the car (3 second rule) and pass him when the road is clear.

I voted what 65% of the other members picked.

 

I chose "I use the fast lane but yield to faster traffic, no matter how fast I am going".

Basically if I can I usually drive 5-10 miles over the speedlimit. If someone is driving faster behind me I yield to them and then get back in the lane.

 

I am confused by two poll choices.

I voted I use the fast lane for passing only.

Unless there are slow mofos in the right lanes, then I'll stay in the fast lane, and yield to faster traffic.

So basically I do both.

 

I voted in the majority.

I wish these rules applied to Westheimer. What a world that would be!!

 

That's so wrong! I laugh now, but man that has to be on the top of my list. What's worse, is when I'm in the next lane, trying to speed up, and they know that I'm about to get in their lane in front of them, they'll speed up, and make me get behind them. Hello!? You are going slow the whole time, but now you speed up, just so I can't get in front of you.

Deep breath...deep breath....

 

Agreed 100%, I get very upset when I let someone in and they don't acknowledge.

Pugs

 

I drive regularly on the beltway around Baltimore. The traffic is very heavy, but usually moving pretty fast and I drive in the fast lane all the time.

Usually in these situations there is a long line of cars in the fast lane moving along at a good clip with little space between cars. Nothing pisses me off more than when I'm allowing a safe distance between my car and the car in front of me and some d!ckweed comes flying up behind me and then tries to go around me to move into that space. It's not like they have wide open road in front of them (If they did, I would move over and let them pass), they are doing this to advance one car link.

And few things give me more pleasure than speeding up to keep them from merging over, so they get stuck in the slower lane.

 

Yeah, that's why I made sure to include "and rides my tail for a few minutes" before I said that.

Pugs

 

Regarding the 'wave', how long do you wave to assure proper receipt of said wave?

Do I need to establish eye contact via rear-view mirror and maintain the wave, until the driver acknowledges? And if I wave, and I don't get a wave back or a head nod at least, do I take that as a call to arms and immediately slam on my brakes?

I kid of course.

 

It's interesting how all these social rules about the fast lane has cropped up without the sanction of the law. The left lane is officially the fast lane, but the law doesn't allow you to speed in it. And yet, some feel like if you're not willing to exceed the speed limit and break the law, you have no business in that lane. Anti-establishment behavior.

As for myself, I also voted for using the fast lane but yielding to faster traffic. It doesn't happen often since my limit is about 20 mph over the speed limit. And, I'll take another lane just as easily. If traffic is open enough to allow me to do 80, it's easy enough to weave about (I'm not a maniacal aggressive weaver, just a laid-back one). Besides, cops are pointing their radar guns at the fast lane.

Fast lane rules should not apply to secondary roads. I don't think they should apply anywhere in the city. I think they only hold on interstates in the countryside. There, I (and most people) feel much more strongly that the left lane is passing-only. It would really make no sense on 1960 or Westheimer. People are turning left all the time, so you can't expect to go fast there. It is nothing like an interstate and a freeway; it serves the local environment instead of being a fast track to some place else, and it has intersections, turns and pedestrians. It's not a place to be driving fast or for expecting people to get out of your way.

 

There's no question strictly adhering to the fast-medium-slow lane structure is the safest approach for everyone. I feel a thousand times safer going 90 in England then I do going 55 in Houston because people always yield over there--it's the law.

I try to do the same thing on roads like Westheimer or even two-lane roads like Eldridge, but you can't expect the same level of commitment because people need to turn left on non-freeways.

 

They put the sign up "Slower traffic keep right" for a reason.

 

I use the fast lane just to go fast and not to sit behind slower cars in the other lanes.

 

When i first got my license, I never cared what lane i was in. As long as the traffic was not bumper to bumper I would weave in and out of lanes. It seemed fun at the time but now it just seems like alot of work when you can make the guy infront of you move out of the way. Now on the extremely rare occasion that I am breaking a 100, well doesnt matter what lane, you have to be the one doing the lane changing.

 

I'll usually stay in the clearest lane, which is usually the fast lane, until someone comes up behind me. Then I move out of the way, let him pass, and match his speed a few seconds behind. This way, I won't get the ticket

 

Along with "Speed Limit".

 

More like "Speed Suggestion"

 

Word, obey the rules of the autobahn, b****es.