Why driving on the left lane when you are not passing another vehicle is dangerous

Last I heard we still live in the great old U S of A and so people are going to speed and do whatever other nonsense they want to do on and off the road. We, as intelligent and thoughtful drivers, need to take a step back and rethink how our actions may be contributing to collisions caused by speeders.  

If we just look at the issue of speeding with an open and rational mindset, we will acknowledge the fact that individuals will continue do it no matter what regulatory signs are posted or the fines imposed on them when they get caught. We must also acknowledge that fact most cars can easily travel over the speed limit. Some cars even have speedometers that go over 200 MPH! OK. We have two undisputable facts staring right at our faces. People will continue to speed no matter what and the vehicles are physically capable of going way beyond the posted speed limit. The most logical conclusion to prevent a collision besides removing the human from the equation based on these two facts is for them to have an unobstructed path of travel. Therefore, those on the left lane that are not passing another vehicle need to move right. Yes. You heard that correctly. Slow traffic – keep right.  

Let me explain before the self-appointed citizens of the left lane traffic police send me a bunch of hate mail. In all my 25+ years of driving, which includes cities like the ultra-fast paced New York and the where-in-the-world-did-these-people-get-their-license Tampa Bay/Sarasota-Manatee County area, I have noticed that most high-speed collisions could have easily been avoided if the speeder did not have to zig zag in traffic.

NOTE: Collisions caused by other driver errors are out of scope for this discussion.   

As your speed increases, the more smoother the driver actions need to be. Any sudden movement to the steering wheel and/or brakes will decrease the vehicle’s stability.  Alright. So, what would cause a car speeding down the road to suddenly have to brake and/or swerve to prevent a collision? It can be many things, but you have total control of one of the causes – being on the left lane traveling slower than the car speeding up behind you.  

By you moving right and allowing the speeding vehicle to go by, you are preventing a collision since that car, truck/SUV, or motorcycle will be much more stable going in a straight line. It’s all physics folks, but not too advanced like rocket science so you can understand it. Another thing that happens on a street greater than two lanes is the speeder now may select the right lane to pass vehicles if the middle lane is occupied because the egotistical person in the left lane did not move right. This causes a tunneling effect at the middle lane where everyone going faster is now flowing into the slow lanes – this very, very dangerous. If fact, I am told that the left lane is also known as a passing lane. Although I do not see this being enforced as much as it should, we as bright and responsible drivers should be following this rule. 

Below is Florida Statute 316.081 – Please thoroughly read the sections that have a different font color that pertain to driving on the left lane. It’s all there in black and white. Ok… dark red in this case.   

Title XXIII MOTOR VEHICLES

Chapter 316 STATE UNIFORM TRAFFIC CONTROL

View Entire Chapter

316.081 Driving on right side of roadway; exceptions.— 

(1) Upon all roadways of sufficient width, a vehicle shall be driven upon the right half of the roadway, except as follows: 

(a) When overtaking and passing another vehicle proceeding in the same direction under the rules governing such movement; 

(b) When an obstruction exists making it necessary to drive to the left of the center of the highway; provided any person so doing shall yield the right-of-way to all vehicles traveling in the proper direction upon the unobstructed portion of the highway within such distance as to constitute an immediate hazard; 

(c) Upon a roadway divided into three marked lanes for traffic under the rules applicable thereon; or 

(d) Upon a roadway designated and signposted for one-way traffic. 

(2) 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 or as close as practicable to the right-hand curb or edge of the roadway except when overtaking and passing another vehicle proceeding in the same direction or when preparing for a left turn at an intersection or into a private road or driveway. 

(3) On a road, street, or highway having two or more lanes allowing movement in the same direction, a driver may not continue to operate a motor vehicle in the furthermost left-hand lane if the driver knows or reasonably should know that he or she is being overtaken in that lane from the rear by a motor vehicle traveling at a higher rate of speed. This subsection does not apply to drivers operating a vehicle that is overtaking another vehicle proceeding in the same direction, or is preparing for a left turn at an intersection. 

(4) Upon any roadway having four or more lanes for moving traffic and providing for two-way movement of traffic, no vehicle shall be driven to the left of the centerline of the roadway, except when authorized by official traffic control devices designating certain lanes to the left side of the center of the roadway for use by traffic not otherwise permitted to use such lanes, or except as permitted under paragraph (1)(b). However, this subsection shall not be construed as prohibiting the crossing of the centerline in making a left turn into or from an alley, private road, or driveway. 

(5) A violation of this section is a noncriminal traffic infraction, punishable as a moving violation as provided in chapter 318. 

Dear Road Runner,

For all the speeders out there that may be reading this post, please be aware of your surroundings and the traffic flow ahead of you. If you were using the SIPDE method correctly, you would know when speeding is just not a good idea. Whether you know it or not, you are using the SIPDE method or a dark variation of it. Otherwise, you would be crashing into everything every time you speed and zig zag down the road.  

Below is the breakdown of the SIPDE acronym for those that do not know it: 

Scan (or Search) – Constantly scan the area ahead of you – including oncoming traffic. Check your rearview and side mirrors every 5 to 8 seconds to scan traffic approaching from the left, right, and behind you.  

Identify – Identify objects or conditions that could interfere with your path of travel such as other vehicle, pedestrians, animals, debris, potholes, weather, and roadway signs. Don’t forget to identify potential problems approaching from the rear as well.  

Predict – Predict what changes in conditions on or near the road you are traveling could increase your level of risk. Predict what will happen ahead of you to determine what you should do next. Since the driving environment is constantly changing as you drive down the road, your predictions on what to do about the risk will need to rapidly change also.  

Decide – Decide what actions you need to take to avoid a harmful situation. Decide how to act based on the type of hazard you encounter.  

Execute – Based upon the situation you see or predict, you may end up executing the following: slow down, speed up, stop your car, not stop your car, swerve to go around the obstacle, not swerving, etc. It all depends on what the best option is in that moment in time.  

SIPDE is what people should be doing when they are driving – not daydreaming about something else, fiddling with their mobile phones, or turning around and yapping to friends while the vehicle is in motion.  

I hope you enjoyed reading this post. Please leave any comments related to speeding and the left lane. I look forward to reading them.