• imaqtpie@sh.itjust.works
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    4 months ago

    In the city it is definitely usable for navigation purposes, getting to the intended destination.

    So is the right lane. If you’re driving the same speed as the car in front of you, you have no reason to use the left lane. Unless you’re making a left turn. Right?

    • Victor@lemmy.world
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      4 months ago

      Exactly my point, yes. Both/all lanes should be for navigational purposes in most cases in the city. 👍

    • Greg Clarke@lemmy.ca
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      4 months ago

      If you’re driving the same speed as the car in front of you, you have no reason to use the left lane

      What if the car in front of you is driving at the same speed but heading right at you? Or if there is an angry T-Rex in the right lane?

    • sorghum@sh.itjust.works
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      4 months ago

      Wrong. In cities left lane is for through traffic unless there are 3+ lanes then it’s the center.

      Source: me CDL holder and trained driver. Training specifically went over this point.

      • imaqtpie@sh.itjust.works
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        4 months ago

        Hm, that makes sense. My mistake. Doesn’t change my actual point but thanks for the info. Substitute passing lane for left lane and that’s what I meant.

    • 1984@lemmy.today
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      4 months ago

      I dont agree, I use the left lane frequently to not have a car in front of me. Increases visibility and security a lot, and just gives a nice feeling of not being blocked.

      I do drive a bit faster than cars in the right lane almost always though.

      • imaqtpie@sh.itjust.works
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        4 months ago

        Sure, I do the same thing sometimes. But I also pay attention and move to the right when I see someone catching me from behind. And I especially don’t drive at the exact same speed, side-by-side with the car in the right lane. And yet I see other drivers do that constantly.

        Some people seem to think of it like a moral crusade or a pissing contest and they feel emasculated if another vehicle passes them. The sociology of automobiles and traffic is endlessly fascinating to me, although I often forget my intellectual curiosity when I’m actually driving 😅

        This is a good book on the subject.

        • lets_get_off_lemmy@reddthat.com
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          4 months ago

          See this is a sensible response to people getting unreasonably PO’d about this. You drive in “the left” (whatever that means to your relative position) until someone faster comes along and they can’t move more left than you.

          I get upset when some fuckwit is going 15+ over the flow of traffic and then that fuckwit gets pissed when he runs up on someone’s ass expecting them to be aware of every dangerous fuckwit out there.

        • 1984@lemmy.today
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          4 months ago

          No I drive fast enough to never have cars behind me. :) So Im actually not part of the problem the thread was discussing, with drivers just driving the same speed in the left lane. That is really frustrating when people do that.

          I would go as far as saying that this behavior of driving faster in the left lane helps to make traffic flow a lot better and avoid congestion. But it’s not legal.

    • lets_get_off_lemmy@reddthat.com
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      4 months ago

      Nah, if it’s in the city (or in a small town with 4 lane roads and low speed limits), you’ll see semis use the left lane for the same reason I do: the right lane stops a lot due to right turns.

        • lets_get_off_lemmy@reddthat.com
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          4 months ago

          I find this scenario extremely rare as in most cases I’m envisioning, there is a middle turn lane separating the two opposite lanes. Either from a light or just as a buffer between the flows of traffic.

          This is all to say, there aren’t any hard and fast rules and there are too many scenarios to cover with a blanket statement like “The left lane is for passing. If you’re not passing somebody, move over to the right lane. It’s not that hard people” (comment above).

          victorz said it more succinctly below.

      • Victor@lemmy.world
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        4 months ago

        If I’m going straight, or right eventually, I wouldn’t use the left lane to pass people when driving in the city. That’s just lane surfing and not very safe driving.

        • lets_get_off_lemmy@reddthat.com
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          4 months ago

          I don’t think it’s lane surfing if you’re not changing lanes. Anyway, this comment section has made me realize that it always just depends. Drive aware, keep safe distance, don’t unnecessarily change lanes, let people pass (on the left) if they’re going faster than you, etc.

          The best advice I ever got about driving was “be predictable.” I think if anyone really takes that to heart empathetically then it would be safer.

          • Victor@lemmy.world
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            4 months ago

            I don’t think it’s lane surfing if you’re not changing lanes.

            No, definitely not. It’s only lane surfing if you’re changing lanes to pass. Sorry, I thought that was the implication.

            Anyway, this comment section has made me realize that it always just depends. Drive aware, keep safe distance, don’t unnecessarily change lanes, let people pass (on the left) if they’re going faster than you, etc.

            Yes, agree completely. ❤️

            The best advice I ever got about driving was “be predictable.” I think if anyone really takes that to heart empathetically then it would be safer.

            Exactly. That person understands traffic. So many times people will decelerate very rapidly to stop and give way for me (because it’s a place where they are supposed to). But because they are coming at such speed, it doesn’t look like they’ll stop in time and it makes me react by breaking suddenly.

            People need to look far, and break early and slowly. Be predictable and have clear car body language.

            👌👌 You and I are on the same page.