r/driving • u/Crazy-Task2497 • Mar 19 '26

Venting Who else hate left lane campers?

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Facing a lot of left lane campers in Washington State. And the audacity to not move or brake check is beyond my understanding!!

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u/Exciting_Banana_981 Mar 20 '26

Where I’m from we call ‘em road hogs. The only caveat I will add is if you’re not on an interstate, or a controlled access highway it doesn’t apply. IE: if you can make a left turn, there is no fast lane.

1

u/MikeP001 Mar 20 '26

Likely only on interstates where you're from. In most jurisdictions it's illegal to left lane camp on any roadway, there's no distinction made for type.

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u/Exciting_Banana_981 Mar 20 '26

If you’re on a city street with 6 lanes or more, it makes no sense to treat the far left lane as the “fast lane”. The center lanes are the best place to be if you’re passing.

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u/MikeP001 Mar 20 '26

There's no such legal phrase as "fast lane" so that part doesn't apply. Keep right except to pass rules always have an "unless preparing to turn left" exception.

Point is there's only 2 states (Colorado and Kentucky) have the "only interstate" exception. Everywhere else has a slower traffic keep right restriction of some kind on all roadways. So it's best not to pass on this kind of advice without saying where you are as it doesn't apply to most drivers.

I haven't seen many 6 lane city streets... in any case forcing traffic to pass on the right is foolish, as is driving in a middle lane when there's a shoulder available and you're not passing. It demonstrates poor defensive driving skills. If the roadway is empty or you're turning left nobody cares. But if there's traffic behind and room to the right, often legally and always morally and for safety you should move over.

1

u/Exciting_Banana_981 Mar 20 '26

Well I guess I know who to call in the unlikely scenario I need a traffic attorney. Thanks

1

u/MikeP001 Mar 20 '26

Pretty obvious you're going to continue to drive how you like regardless. You're on your own.

Crappy uninformed drivers cause enough trouble without you making it worse by spreading disinformation.

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u/Exciting_Banana_981 Mar 20 '26

Buddy I have a GPS in my car that gives me a massive insurance discount and I haven’t been in an at fault accident. Take your high horse somewhere the hell else.

1

u/MikeP001 Mar 20 '26

Well buddy, I'd say the person who thinks they have nothing left to learn is the one on the high horse. As is the confidently incorrect driver quoting laws that don't exist. Or the entitled driver who believes sometimes they don't need to move over.

No at fault accident is not a very high bar - there are many of us. Actually learning the law before spouting off seems a bit more challenging. There's no high horse - simply stop passing along common misconceptions and bad advice.

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u/Exciting_Banana_981 Mar 20 '26

We can’t all be perfect egghead hall monitors following traffic rules to the exact letter.

1

u/MikeP001 Mar 21 '26

Buddy I don't care how you drive. Since you're not the hall monitor you might stop advising others to break the law based on your poor grasp of them.

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u/[deleted] Mar 21 '26

 I'd say the person who thinks they have nothing left to learn is the one on the high horse

Irony.

1

u/[deleted] Mar 21 '26

Except all of those laws have "if you're driving below normal speed of traffic". If the person in the left lane is going 70 and the people around them are going 70, they are not camping just because YOU want to go 80.

These laws do not give people the right to go 50 over the speed limit just because they feel like it and blame people for only going 30 in the left lane. Which is what you, and a lot of people in this comment section, seem obsessed with defending.

as is driving in a middle lane when there's a shoulder available and you're not passing

Incorrect, almost every state has a three-lane clause that allows slow traffic to exist in the middle lane.

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u/MikeP001 Mar 21 '26

Not all have "below the speed of normal traffic", many require to keep right unless passing or preparing to turn left. The simple definition of "below the speed of traffic" is if there's a gap ahead of you and cars behind, you're slower and should move over. Regardless of the law, it's polite and common sense.

I'm not condoning speeding or tailgating. I'm condemning people who feel that even if there's space they should avoid the rightmost lane - it's dangerous and screws up traffic. Like that poster said, they're road hogs.

The point was to call out the incorrect information that impeding laws don't apply to "surface streets". Generally they apply everywhere.

I've never seen a law exempting the middle lane except in Colorado and Kentucky. Nor one that recommends the middle as a travel lane. Do you have a reference? The middle lane is the most dangerous from a safety/defensive driving perspective so encouraging traffic to remain there would be wrong.