Dwight Stewart wrote:
"JJ" wrote:
Yes, in Texas it is the law. You are
supposed to drive in the right lane
and use the left lane for passing, even
if you are doing the speed limit or
over, you are obliged to pull to the
right lane to let another pass. The
following is an exerpt from an article
in the Ft. Worth Star Telegram,
April 12, 2003.
************************************
Texans must drive in the right-hand lane.
In other words -- move over.
Yes, you. Get out of the left lane.
I don't care how fast you're driving. Or
what the speed limit is.
Texas law is blunt. (snip)
Thanks for looking that up, JJ. I suspected it was the law in Texas. I
suspect it is also the law in Jim's state. Most states have, or are passing,
laws in this regard because of studies which show that drivers who refuse to
move to the right to allow others to pass cause accidents. I haven't seen
these studies myself, but I've heard mention of them in debates about these
laws.
I've read one. It notes that vehicles tend to get clogged up for that
reason, and that you end up with odd clots of vehicles all bunched
together, with a few people that want to get ahead of the clot.
Dangerous? You betchya! Their recommendation was that laws about letting
people pass, pullover when followed by too many cars, and enforcement
that takes into account traffic flow rather than absolute speed was
important.
Personally, I've found that the cure is to travel between those nasty
clots of traffic. I don't have to worry about all the brake checks and
close-in driving at 75 mph. I get there about 10 seconds after all the
smart people driving inside the clot!
- Mike KB3EIA -
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