Why don't people know that the passing lane (fast lane) on a highway is for passing other cars?

Question

I'm not just talking about taking the left lane when no other cars are around (which is annoying anyways since it is the passing lane) but to be on the left lane going the same speed of a car on the right lane next to them. that is the most infuriating thing. i swear they taught this in driver's ed, but even if you missed that lesson, isn't it common sense?

Answer 1

I notice this a lot too, but here in Los Angeles, there are not that many 2 lane roads.  My guess is people become acustomed to this in their second nature.

However, when I have driven long distances to Oklahoma and even several hours into Northern CA, I do notice that most of time, people will pass on the left... Most of the time.

But true, that is something we learned in driver ed, and it bugs me too.

Answer 2

Don't know where you are, but here in Texas, you don't have to take driver's ed.  If you're 18, you can go in cold and take the multiple choice test and go drive around with a state trooper if you've got  car and proof of insurance on it.

Another factor in Texas is that you don't always have to speak english to get a license, or even be able to read; I've never been certain which is more disturbing.

While there are some legitimate excuses, such as flooded lanes during heavy rains, or snow, for going slower than the speed limit in the left lane, most of the time, people who get in the left lane and won't get out are simply idiots that have forgotten either their training or what they studied in the state published handbook.  

My pet peeve is when I go to pass someone with the cruise control set and accelerate to match my speed, making me look like the @sshole that won't get out of the left lane.  The record I've dragged one of those moron's up to is about 95 mph.

It's just bad manners, bad attitude and probably a certain amount of prejudice.  A yuppie in his fuel efficient hybrid sees me as a punk highschool kid in a jacked up Jeep, doing 3 mph faster than him and decides that he's not going to let me pass him.

I've passed people, presumably stoned, only to have them pass me and slow down.  Which makes for a game of leap frog on a long drive.  I've had little old men do the same thing.  And I had a friend in highschool who drove like elephants ***k, (slowly,) but couldn't stand being passed, he'd floor it around someone, then drop back below the speed limit as soon as he was past them, only to floor it again when they passed him again.

It's just stupidity.  They can't help it, there's no real way to enforce it currently.  

Experience has taught me that we'll see an increase of bad behaviour on the road as we get closer to Christmas.  About all you can do is install an air horn, (or better yet one from hornblasters.com,) and flash lights at them.  

In the event that two people are blocking both lanes and neither seems intent on moving one way or the other, I usually just pull over at a truckstop or rest area, use the bathroom, grab a cup of coffee and let them sort it out for the ten minutes that I'm not wishing I had missiles mounted on my car.

DGI