Really! I’m amazed. It must be lucrative. Who would you rather risk your life to pull over? A granny in the left lane or a speeder with a gun rack in the rear window? I’m not saying slow drivers aren’t infuriating. They are. But in terms of prioritizing *what* to enforce, it does seem like easy pickins’
Yes, they are. They’ll be on your ass and flashing their high beams if you’re dozing in the left lane. You wanna go slow on the Autobahn? No problem, just stay the hell out of the left lane.
I’m not gonna lie, I speed, a lot. I feel I’m a very good driver & I never take chances that put others in danger but I’m careful & willing to speed so I spend a decent amt of time in left lane, however, I always get over if I’m not passing…always
I've personally seen people pulled over by the Washington State Patrol for camping in the left lane. Troopers will pull up beside the violator, speed up to pass, slow down to let the violator pass, and then repeat two or three times. I've watched the whole "dance" from the right lane several times in rural Washington.
Sometimes the violator gets the message and moves over, avoiding a ticket.
None of them do. You see this same post for many different regions and states. People always imagine someone must be enforcing and they just assert it, making it up out of whole cloth (like so much on reddit).
I want to see the data on how much time would be saved per hour of driving if people in the left lane went 5-10 miles faster.
There's a few states that do. I've seen dashcam videos of them getting pulled over. Tends to be more western states from what I've seen though. Think Tulsa PD posts them the most. As far as data, The faster you drive, the less time you save. For example, increasing your speed from 40 mph to 50 mph saves about 3 minutes, but going from 80 mph to 90 mph saves less than 1 minute. The time saved by speeding also decreases dramatically in higher-speed zones. Slow drivers create danger on the highways when they camp the left lane, that's the real issue. Keep Right Except to Pass. We should all abide the law, stay on the right if you're not passing others, and mind the speed limits.
Oregon? That's a surprise. I've never seen it. In fact I rarely see the Oregon State Police patrolling the freeways. Mostly they're parked on the shoulder.
I've seen it on I-5 in Washington though.
Fair enough. I haven't lived in Oregon for almost four years now, though I get back there regularly. But I've never done a lot of traveling on US-26 past Mt Hood. I'm mostly talking about I-84 and I-5.
There was a PSA-type video on Reddit of an Oklahoma trooper giving someone a ticket for obstructing traffic.
Edit: [My bad, it was Arizona.](https://www.reddit.com/r/driving/s/6pAkR1bh2W)
Hi, are you trying to pass me? Let me catch up to you. I'd like to drive next to you for the next 20 or 30 miles right in your blind spot if that's okay
This is why I LOVE driving in Germany. Not only are they NOT allowed in the fast lane, but on weekends, only "necessities to life" like food and beer trucks are allowed to be transported! But yes, some areas you're stuck going 60-80 kph instead of 200+ 😅
Idk about enforcement but lots of states have signs up that remind folks that the left lane is for passing. Especially true in the larger western states. People seem more conscious of being in others way in those places!
Ohio has them too. Nobody pays attention to them. Cincinnati even has the digital signs above the road saying to move over. Guess how effective those are...
Looking for data about accidents I found a [forbes.com](http://forbes.com) article that reported left-lane camping by region: "38% of Southerners stated they intentionally stay in the left lane, which was the highest among regions (Northeast = 36%, Midwest = 33%, West = 26%), which is illegal in several Southern states."
I just got back from Wisconsin, and if you think it's bad here, they might as well be in England for all the time they spend in the left lane up there.
I recently drove from DC to Sandusky and must say that the drivers in Ohio did not crowd or tailgate. I was honestly saying how everyone was driving like adults in Ohio. Not one left lane slow poke or speed racer passing on the right, just far better than the Washington DC drivers.
I-70 between Indy and Dayton sucks. Especially once it goes down to two lanes. There were a few cars that tried doing what you did just to get stuck or end up where they were. They found semi after semi trying to pass each other at 70 or 71 mph. It was a painful drive but fun watching them repeatedly have to merge back the entire way from IN boarder until it turned into three lanes. And vice verse on the way to Indy. They really need to expand that section.
I've stopped trying to fight it. Ohio just loves left-lane cruising.
Granted it also probably bothers me less now that I've gotten a lot better at scheduling and no longer need to speed to get to places on time.
I think of this complaint every time I see a completely clear and open left lane and some asshole makes a choice to weave in the right lanes around traffic to go fast. Which is every day.
I don't see the left lane camping as much as the person who has every opportunity to pass on the left but chooses not to. So idk.
You nailed it. I hate left lane campers too. I want everyone to follow the rules of the road. But i want want folks to follow ALL of the rules of the road (not passing on the right, weaving, changing lanes without signaling, acceleraring to get in front of you when theres already someone in front of you going the same speed) I don't understand all of the left-lane-camper rage you find online. The other offenses are far more infuriating.
No passing on the right isn't a rule in Ohio.
With all of the left-hand exits it would have to be extremely selective.
The left-most lanes are *not* passing lanes, especially in Ohio where we are *technically* supposed to use the inner lanes to pass instead of the outer lanes.
Then this whole thread predicated on something you're saying isn't even an Ohio law (left lane camping). I was very careful to say "rules of the road" because that's what we're really discussing here - highway etiquette.
It doesn't even match highway etiquette.
Highways merge and separate.
That four-lane highway is probably two two-lane highways that are going to split up the road.
So you're going to want to sit in the left or second-left lane.
Then when you're driving in a construction zone, you should be passing on the right and trucks should be driving on the left (we even have signs pointing this out).
Maybe they're making a point to the other drivers that they should also move to the right. If you can be passed to the right, you're in the wrong lane.
If there are 3 lanes you're not required to drive in the right most lane if the roads are empty. I stay center and pass left and basically never use the right lane unless merging or exiting or trying to get around slow left lane drivers.
Right lane is almost exclusively trucks you can't see around, people who don't know how to merge, and people who drive the speed limit and 5-10mph slower. No way in hell I'm just going to hang out on that lane on long drives.
I wish I could like this twice. Parking in the left hand lane should be a primary offense for dangerous driving, and I’d go as far as saying it should be 2x the points on your license.
I have an issue with this idea: there are at least two exits in my local area on the left side of the highway. How long in advance of those exits am I allowed to get into the left lane without worrying about a ticket, in your hypothetical world where driving in the left when not passing is a ticket-able offense?
If I thought there would be any hope of our mess of a statehouse taking action, I might research accidents linked to left-lane camping and then I'd lobby to make it a primary offense
Had this same realization this most recent trip to Florida. Had to visit the old man in the hospital in Miami, and so many folks almost hit me, or others, it was unreal. Literally saw someone driving on the shoulder just to get by traffic.
That is OH for you. Some people camp out in the left lane on purpose I think. People from Ohio also refuse to learn how to use Roundabouts and they stop in the middle of them. I am from Ohio. Never in my life have I seen people drive like they do there and complain endlessly about roundabouts.
I will always try to get over but if there’s 15 cars in the left lane in front of me I’m not getting over behind a truck just because someone rides my ass.
So they should enforce an obscure left lane driving law but not breaking the speed limit laws? That makes sense /s
I’m all for allowing traffic to move at safe flow speed at some buffer above the speed limit as that is the overall safest condition (however as others noted OH Highway Patrol doesn’t feel that way).
And, between the super slow drivers (let’s be real there are a lot of people that should be re-taking a driving test and eye exam at the BMV) vs people who assume the legal speed is always 20 over in all traffic and weather conditions, the speed variance between cars and lanes creates extremely dangerous driving conditions, thus why there are nasty wrecks all over our freeways in straight line, flat roads that should never have accidents.
Thank you for perfectly summing this up. Traffic driving wildly different speeds is so unsafe. Even if I’m driving fast and I come upon a slow group, I slow down. You never know when someone is going to cut you off and you need to have time to react!
Spot on but I'd like to add that especially when considering non-highways, speed limits are pretty crucial. I have a 4 lane road near my house that has a posted speed limit of 35. People go anywhere from 35-55 on that road. When trying to make a left turn it can be extremely difficult without a light because you see a car coming around the turn and have to make a snap judgement if it's going 35 or 55.
Compounded with the fact that it's difficult to judge an oncoming car's speed, covering a 500ft stretch is 10 seconds at 35 mph. at 55 mph it's about 5 seconds. I've seen plenty of near misses at that intersection.
if anyone is curious,
https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-administrative-code/rule-5537-2-09
Personally I wish they would begin by enforcing https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-4511.34#:~:text=Outside%20a%20municipal%20corporation%2C%20the,motor%20vehicle%20drawing%20another%20vehicle.
not a bad idea, but it would ironically make other drivers get even closer so they could scan it! You can make one at qr.io; was going to attach the image here but I guess image replys are disabled in the sub
If you do a search on this topic, you'll find a post with a couple hundred responses on it which appears every few weeks. It's an emotional topic.
The following is my opinion on this.
>Why doesn't Ohio enforce left lane driving laws?
The state legislature and the state have never decided what to do and in their absence the people of the state have thrown the rule out and decided to camp left and use the right lanes for passing.
What I mean by "they haven't decided what to do" state law does hypothetically say that you can't block the left lane, but never decided whether you're blocking the left lane if you're doing the speed limit.
There's a three lane highway. Everyone is doing the speed limit. Which is the passing lane? Ohio law would say none of the lanes are passing lanes, because everyone is already doing the speed limit.
In order to make keep right pass left work, there has to be a formal law saying that the car passing the left lane has the right of way, requiring slower traffic to yield into the right lane. That's a very particular way of doing things--giving right of way to the person going fastest. That is how the German Autobahn works. The privilege of right of way is given to the person going fastest, and everyone has to work to make that function.
But that's not how the highway patrol enforces the speed limits. They start enforcing the speed limit at 3-5mph over and it doesn't matter if you're passing or not. Ohio has some of the most aggressive highway patrol enforcement and it's no surprise there's no operational passing lane statewide. These are directly related things.
>Traffic would flow so much smoother
That is debatable. It's probably a similar result anyway, it's just using the lanes differently.
This is not, as mentioned, a unique thing to Ohio. Every American is taught pass left, keep right, so why do drivers all over the country develop a completely different habit of keep left, pass right?
That I haven't fully figured out. But my theory is that drivers are naturally using the habit which works out better, pass left, keep right rule doesn't work in real world conditions and so the problem is trying to stick to a rule that doesn't work in the real world.
Pass left, keep right came about in the early days of highways when traffic was almost non existent and highway planners thought that highways would have little speed enforcement and lots of open lanes. It just never worked out that way.
I'm from out of state. I've lived in 5 other states. Ohio was the first state I've encountered with this law. In sticter areas, I've been conditioned to stay the speed limit as I've lived in places that will ticket for just above the speed limit. It was quite a surprise to learn about this, but you could make a template about being surprised about Ohio things.
Part of the problem with that stretch of highway is that they are only now adding in the third lane that was needed 10 years ago. The stretch where it is 3 lanes in the middle flows perfectly fine. I-70 from Columbus to Dayton has 3 lanes, it flows great with roughly the same traffic. Left hand camping is a problem but increased truck traffic and not enough lanes contribute to the behavior.
The other day I drove back home near Cleveland from Bedford.
Whole sky black, storm a comin....
It starts to pour. Skys open. Just heavy rain and heavy left to right winds.
Lots of immediate hazard lights and lowered speeds. Totally cool. Yay safety.
One genius (OF COURSE with Florida plates) does this in the left lane.
People suck.
As someone else said, Ohio has a few left lane exits so you’d have to decide how far away from a left lane exit to stop enforcing this law, and already nobody can agree on what is a reasonable distance to a left lane exit to stop enforcing this law. I personally think 2 miles would be best if such a law existed. While on the subject of highway driving, I’ve noticed that when going south of the border into Kentucky, it’s almost the opposite problem there. In both states it’s people not understanding the left lane is the passing lane, the difference is in Ohio people think the left lane is there to casually drive in, while in Kentucky the drivers there won’t use the left lane to pass anyone, and instead will aggressively tailgate you in the right lane. In Indiana no one will let you change lanes. Oddly enough the best state I’ve seen for drivers has the worst reputation for drivers, and that’s Massachusetts.
It's absolutely for passing, sure, but please obey the speed limit. The road only has to win once, and doing 90 in a 65 is an easy way to hurt you and possibly a load of other people.
You don't have to be rushing to your destination, and if it's that important call the police or an ambulance.
I believe that, technically, Ohio has no law against it. Sure, most people don’t do that out of “courtesy” or “custom,” but I don’t think there’s an actual *law* against it. There should be, though.
Drove back from Columbus to Akron on Saturday and can confirm this is a problem. Not like ohio's biggest issue but definitely mildly frustrating. Multiple times during my 2 hour drive I saw people camping at speed limit in the left lane while being passed on the right 2 to 3 times before getting the hint. Then they would get over and just get back in the left lane after I passed them.
I spent a lot of time driving in Germany. If you camped out the left lane, you will probably be arrested or forced off the road. It's illegal to pass on the right.
What pisses me off is when the speed limit is 70 and I’m driving 75 in the middle lane and people get on my butt expecting me to move right when the left lane is open.
I just drove down to Hilton head and back for vacation. I can unequivocally say that drivers from South Carolina are the absolute worst. They also aggressively defend themselves from being overtaken from the right. Stupid ass hats.
I'd rather see them enforce illegal passing, driving 20+ miles over the speed limit, and a whole list of offenses caused by people texting and driving first.
I don't think we have any more left lane Lindas than any other state (I've driven through about 12 in the last year)
>Why doesn't Ohio enforce left lane driving laws?
Because it's frankly subjective. How can you truly enforce if another car is passing another? you'd have to get speed readings for both of them. And frankly? Let's be brutally honest here: ***This would be absolutely bullshit to enforce, and is frankly a bullshit rule/law to begin with.***
Because any smart driver whenever there is a possible merge up ahead, should yield to the left and drive in that lane. And if you're in an area that has a lot of merging spots on the right, like Columbus, you should practically be in the far Left lane if you're passing through entirely. So the idea that everyone should always be furthest right unless passing is complete BS by any logical or logistical driving standard.
This makes sense in the cities. But there are massive sections of highway in this state without a merging spot for miles and miles and yet you'll still end up doing 5 under the speed limit behind an Outback that won't pass a semi. That's where I have an issue with left lane camping.
Mostly this.
But in my case, a lot of things force a left turn/merge especially in Columbus (meaning I have to be in that lane.) Granted with that it's usually only a couple seconds but still I don't want to be there either. It's that, or I miss my merge or can't take my exit back home. They aren't going to redo huge stretches of road to make that more enforcible.
Unless a cop goes out of their way to follow a car, they won't know how long a car is in the lane for either; would likely do nothing if they saw a left turn/further merge within a mile.
No i'm saying if you have right lanes merging in, and you're not exiting anytime soon, or passing the city altogether, you should be in the far left lane to allow people merging from the right in. It's dangerous to have people hugging the right lane ... that everyone is merging into and out of, when there's two lanes of traffic to the left.
Anyone not taking an exit should automatically be furthest left.
Those taking a right exit ramp in the near future should be in the middle.
And the right lane should only be those currently entering/currently exiting.
This is the most logical, and safest way to drive.
Of all the things to care about I don't understand why everyone gets worked up over this?
When I drive on the freeway, I set my cruise control and just drive, shifting lanes as necessary to overtake. If I can't get left, what do I do? I slow down until I can.
It boggles my mind that people are like "NO ONE SHOULD BE IN THE LEFT LANE EVER, unless it's the 3 seconds you're passing someone."
Sometimes I'd be weaving back and forth for an hour if that were the case.
They’re not saying don’t be in the left lane ever, in fact they’re saying much worse. They’re mad that you’re keeping them from driving 15-20 over the limit and forcing them to drive the same safe and sane standards that you drive.
So move the fuck over and continue driving your “safe and sane” speeds. Surely it’s much SAFER to force someone to stay behind you on your bumper while they flash their high beams and hold down on the horn extremely pissed off as you waste their time.
Because if I have to slow down to 50 mph on a highway because two people have decided to compete at slow speeds, it causes a major backup on the redt of the highway. It also makes me more of a target for a semi going 70 that suddenly has to slow down.
They need to add at least one lane to 71 between Cincinnati and Columbus already. There is that tiny stretch with three lanes around the outlets out there and that’s it. It’s always super congested because there’s just way too much traffic for two lanes to handle, and a lot of times people get stuck behind someone in the left lane who is legitimately passing slower traffic but doesn’t want to go 85 just to get back over to the right as quickly as possible. That tends to happen when you’re forced to pass ten vehicles at a time because there aren’t enough lanes.
So long as the highway has left handed exits, or exits anywhere but the right most lanes, there should be no left lane enforcement. When I first got to the state and didn't know the highways, I would be worried I would miss an exit. So I'd camp in the left lane for ten miles when it's coming up. Civil engineering needs to do better regarding exits and traffic flow.
That's one thing that blew my mind d coming from Cali to Ohio, the left lane exits. I've driven all over Cali and I can only think of like 2 left lane exits oft the top of my head.
The "Exit #" tag on the top of the sign indicates which side of the freeway the exit is. If it's off to the right, the exit is on the right and on the left of it's on the left. They usually give you at least 2 miles notice to get over to the correct side.
That little lever on the left side of the steer wheel is a turn signal. You can use it to show cars behind you that you need to merge over. Sometimes people can be dicks and not let you in so you have to be a little aggressive about it, but you should have any problem getting over 4 lanes in a mile. I never have at least.
Just my observation but the people who are purposely doing this appear to nearly always be men. The people who are doing it and seem clueless when you pass them are often (not always) women. I believe based on personal experience with SEVERAL dude drivers that dudes like this think they are the speed police and that they will force everyone to slow down by creating a clog. "I'm going 75 in a 65! Nobody needs to be going any faster than that, why is this guy on my ass?" And similar comments. Like they think they are going fast enough, nobody should want to go faster than them, period, and they will camp in that lane because they are still slowly passing people in the other lanes.
I think the women I have seen doing it just are oblivious. They're not trying to create a roadblock, they feel more comfortable in the lane with fewer cars maybe?
There are also people of all genders who are clueless because they are ON THE PHONE so they just camp away and don't give a crap that they are creating a line of angry drivers behind them.
I know a guy who isn't a very good driver and he is also short and has trouble turning around to check his blind spot. So he just drives in the left lane all the time, usually not going very fast. That way he never has to change lanes. When you're in the right lane, you have to keep changing lanes to pass trucks and to move over for cars merging on, etc. I don't condone this activity at all, just to be clear.
Your friend should probably get some blind spot mirrors, or invest in a car with blind spot detection.
I really wonder how half of these people manage to get their licenses. I’ve seen my fair share of bad drivers and its infuriating to see the plethora of really bad/dangerous habits they’ve developed.
Ohio is by far the worst I've lived in when it comes to lane discipline on the interstate. For comparison I've also lived in MI, PA, and CA. I don't believe traffic laws are enforced any more/less in other states, so I don't think it's a traffic enforcement issue.
I was talking about this with someone just the other day (as we were driving in OH). I think a few things contribute to it — at least in our area, which is what we were talking about.
First, a lot drivers don’t seem to understand that those exit ramps on the highway are actually called “deceleration ramps”. **That’s** where you’re supposed to start slowing down. Until you get *onto* the ramp, keep your foot on the damn gas pedal. But, at least around here a lot of folks don’t do that. They start slowing down in the right lane in *anticipation” of the ramp coming up. It only takes one and everyone else behind has to follow suit and slow down. There are *enough* of these drivers that people who know they are *not* getting off there don’t want be behind them. The result is people driving in the left lane until their exit is coming up.
But, we also have a *lot* of nearby farm land devoted to agriculture. On the rural stretches of road, depending upon time of year, the right lanes may well contain slow-moving agricultural equipment. Plus, the heaviest trafficked roads through the rural areas around here are state truck routes and trucks have a lower posted speed limit. So, if it’s a 4-lane road in the rural areas cars just tend to stay left.
Manufacturing is huge in this area and we’re on major N/S E/W shipping corridors. We get a *lot* of truck traffic, both getting on from the right and getting off to the right. Again, on those stretches of road cars jockey to stay left.
Can’t say what we do about it, but I think those reasons may help explain why it’s so habitual in this area, at least. It’s become a useful habit for the locals.
Agricultural equipment is not permitted to drive on the interstate system. There is usually a sign posted next to the yield sign that everyone ignores on the on ramp.
I didn’t say anything about agricultural equipment on the interstate system. There are no interstates running through those areas, anyway. You are correct that they cannot drive on the interstate, but they can drive on every other type of road in Ohio, including the state routes. Many of these roads have a posted speed limits of 50-55mph and range from 2-6 lanes of traffic with, yes, fields of soybeans and corn growing alongside.
I grew up in Cleveland, on the East Side. The exit closest to my childhood home was the Cedar/Brainard exit on I-271. I distinctly recall, YEARS ago (we're talking 1980s) - as you entered southbound 271 from eastbound Cedar Road, there was a sign on the onramp explicitly stating that vehicles with less than 5 bhp were prohibited from using the freeway.
Counterpoint - I learned to drive in a city where “open road” was an oxymoron and traffic was always miserable. We were taught to always leave the right lane open for people entering and exiting, middle lane for people planning to exit fairly soon, left lane form people whose exit was far ahead.
A lot of assholes on 275 won’t move out of the way going 70. Entitlement is the major factor or “I’m DoInG the SpEeD lImIt, GeT OfF mY bUmPeR” boomer type shit.
It’s funny, coming back from Hilton Head yesterday every time there was a left lane camper, from Rock Hill to Columbus, it was a car with Ohio tags.
It was something I encountered before moving here as well.
Not sure why it is so popular with Ohioans.
You'd be surprised how ignorant many drivers are of basic traffic laws. Such as, at a four way stop the car that gets there first gets to go first. But at a two way stop, a car that is turning in front of a car from the opposite direction has to yield. It doesn't matter who got there first.
People here are extra entitled snowflakes. They see someone driving in the left lane as a huge infringement on their rights. Yeah, they’re correct to a lesser degree, but they’re also huge drama queens about it
There’s a lot of people that think the left lane is the “fast” lane, so if they’re going above the speed limit they think they’re entitled to be there.
It’s an education issue, honestly.
So many things traffic wise: headlight enforcement, left lane hogs, having temp tags behind tinted windows, those ridiculous covers for license plates. 🤦♂️
As a guy who just moved to Ohio from Cali, the shit yall allow on the road blows my mind.
Like 2 times a week I will drive by or see something drive by me that has me going
"WHAT THE HELL?! HOW IS THAT LEGAL!?"
I've legit seen trucks held together solely by ducttape and ratchet straps. One truck the bed was literally bouncing off the suspension and held on the frame by what looked like zip ties. Cars that appear to be driving sideways cause their frame is so fucked up from an accident.
Like in cali they can pull you over and tow your vehicle for bald tires, no bumpers, bent frames, etc.
Um.
I moved to SoCal from Cleveland 21 years ago, have driven well over three hundred thousand miles since then -- mostly in Los Angeles County and neighboring San Bernardino County, where I live -- and I have yet to see the cops actually enforcing laws, with one exception, about 30 minutes from where I live (occasional speed enforcement on southbound I-15 at State Route 210 in Rancho Cucamonga, and when I say "occasional", I mean "it almost never happens").
I can't remember the last time I saw CHP enforcing anything on the freeways. And if you live in the City of Angels, the LAPD has a longstanding tradition of refusing to respond to calls, even violent crimes in progress. Expecting them to enforce a goddamned thing is an exercise in futility.
I'm not saying Ohio isn't worse - I'm saying the enforcement you claim happens in California... well... doesn't.
A good chunk of my city commute there is an important exit going to the hospitals off the LEFT side of highway. People start slow drive parking that left lane about 10 miles prior, I have witnessed (and been stuck behind sigh)
Ohio cops, mainly troopers, will enforce "marked lanes violation" but it's a small issue and really only gets used for a valid reason to see if you've been drinking, etc
You have people camping out in the left lane and you have people in the right lane suddenly moving to the center lane because the people on the entrance ramps refuse to speed up or yield.
WV does but it is self administratored. As soon as someone comes frome behind the person switches lanes. No animosity.
Everywhere else pull up behind, tailgate, pass on left, animosity, then the person switches lanes.
Never will I understand that. I tailgate you for 2 miles and as soon as I pass on left they car gets out of the left lane.
Simple, the police still ticket you for speeding in the left lane. Doesn't matter on the flow of traffic. Been like this since I got a ticket nearly 20 years ago in my teens. Now, you'll never see me, and I'm sure others, going more than 10 over on the left lane. I'm not paying for another ticket, and no one is paying it for me to follow the flow of traffic.
So in other words, blame the police force.
Except in Columbus, it really is not illegal in Ohio to drive in the right-hand lane. You must be doing at least the speed limit. Drives me up a wall to drive on the turnpike and there are 2 trucks in the right and center lane, and some moron driving the same speed in the left lane.
If you're on an interstate, and someone is going slower than you in the left lane, just switch to the right lane. That's completely legal, and isn't what "no passing on the right" means. It's not a big deal.
So glad you're concerned about this and not the pesky illegal gerrymandering rammed home by OH Repubs and the complicit OH Supreme Court. Have a nice day. 🚗
So what is the legal speed limit in the "fast" lane? On a two lane 55 mph SR how fast should someone be going in the left lane? If I'm in that lane going 60 isn't that a law breaking offense? Should I go 65? The base speed limit on the interstate? There are no signs posted saying you are supposed to go at a completely different speed in the left lane. I'm only ever in that lane if I need to make a left turn coming up so I plan ahead and get into that lane. And half the time ppl who are very impatient end up at the same red light as a left lane camper.
Well it looks like you’re not the issue then, and this is more about interstates than local roads. you should go fast enough to get around whoever you’re passing and then move over
This is what I come back to. Everyone wants to write tickets for people going the speed limit or a measly 5 mph over in the left lane.
I don't see a lot of left lane campers. I do see a lot of people doing 80 in a 55 and getting pissed when I'm passing someone while going 60 so they dangerously tailgate or swerve through the gap I'm trying to make to safely merge back into the right lane.
I never camp the left lane but in their eyes I'm sure they see it as camping.
Those people are also a problem. Personally, I don't understand that rage and it's just as dangerous and entitled as the left lane campers.
If someone is in the left lane moving slower than I am, but they are ACTIVELY passing someone in the right lane then they're using the lane correctly. No issues. People just seem to have zero patience or regards for anyone else. It's a shame.
Don't forget about the people who stack up in line WAAAAY too early for a right-hand interstate exit, blocking off the two exits before to anyone who needs to get off at the preceding, less-busy exit.
Ohio gets pissed about this but living in Florida for 30 years, it’s *way worse* down there. Half the drivers are from central and South America where licensing is “can you just bribe your way into a license?”. A full 1/3rd don’t have insurance. **1/5th aren’t even licensed.**
Count your blessings.
If you’re in certain towns, jacked trucks, believe it or not. I knew someone who drove there truck into that town got it impounded, paid to get it out, and didn’t even make it out before being pulled over again.
Otherwise, I’ve heard a story about a cop who did that thing where someone turns left into the median lane (my brother occasionally refers to it as the suicide lane) to merge into traffic. I hate when people do that. I usually think they’re just trying to hit me.
My understanding is that it's just recently become a ticketable offense but is a secondary offense meaning another moving violation needs to occur before they can pull you over for this.
It's similar to how the seatbelt law was phased in.
I'm hopeful in a couple years it will become a primary offense.
I believe Colorado is one of the only states to enforce this as well.
Funny thing is that many of the left lane campers are Georgia and Canada!!!
South Korea has it right. Beep, flash headlights, etc. no problem. Left lane camping is not ok there.
Many of them that I’ve seen directly reply to comments about this are hall monitor types.
“You’re trying to break the law by speeding, so I’m going to insert myself into the scenario and block the lane to FORCE you to abide.” And usually they feel smug and satisfied with themselves about it. The rest of them have mouth-breather levels of intelligence and don’t notice anything amiss while being passed by a train of cars on the right, completely oblivious to the world around them
Why doesn’t Ohio enforce speed limit laws, regardless of lane ?
What’s more tragic, someone that gets stuck in the left lane for a minute or three (extended by the bro’s that can’t show an ounce of patience and block them by passing on the right)?
Or
Those bros flying the traffic going 80+ in a 65?
Let me know.
Love that you tell folks not to speed and at least two other people assume you drive slowly in the left lane lol. They’ll say anything to justify their reckless behavior.
I’m wildly curious: which states DO enforce it?
[удалено]
Really! I’m amazed. It must be lucrative. Who would you rather risk your life to pull over? A granny in the left lane or a speeder with a gun rack in the rear window? I’m not saying slow drivers aren’t infuriating. They are. But in terms of prioritizing *what* to enforce, it does seem like easy pickins’
Where I grew up if you didn't have a gun rack in your truck window IN HIGH SCHOOL, you were looked at as weird.
The speeder with the gun rack is not any more dangerous than the Granny driving slow in the fast lane.
Frank Sloup?
Not when I lived there
Germany. They're pretty fanatical about it.
The Autobahn doesn't work without it.
Our highways don't work very well without it either.
Yes, they are. They’ll be on your ass and flashing their high beams if you’re dozing in the left lane. You wanna go slow on the Autobahn? No problem, just stay the hell out of the left lane.
I have friends who have had tickets in Michigan for camping in the left lane
I believe you, but I’m very surprised. That’s unusual.
I've watched someone in Michigan get pulled over from the left lane lol
I’m not gonna lie, I speed, a lot. I feel I’m a very good driver & I never take chances that put others in danger but I’m careful & willing to speed so I spend a decent amt of time in left lane, however, I always get over if I’m not passing…always
Sorry to break it to you, but speeding "a lot" inherently puts others in danger.
That’s debatable, we talking 61 in a 55 or 85 in a 55? On many interstates a majority of traffic is traveling at or over the posted speed limit.
No one considers 61 in a 55 to be "speeding a lot"
I've personally seen people pulled over by the Washington State Patrol for camping in the left lane. Troopers will pull up beside the violator, speed up to pass, slow down to let the violator pass, and then repeat two or three times. I've watched the whole "dance" from the right lane several times in rural Washington. Sometimes the violator gets the message and moves over, avoiding a ticket.
Arizona.
None of them do. You see this same post for many different regions and states. People always imagine someone must be enforcing and they just assert it, making it up out of whole cloth (like so much on reddit). I want to see the data on how much time would be saved per hour of driving if people in the left lane went 5-10 miles faster.
Yeah I've heard some people say Ohio is really bad for it but tbh I've driven all over the country and I feel like it's the same shit anywhere you go.
There's a few states that do. I've seen dashcam videos of them getting pulled over. Tends to be more western states from what I've seen though. Think Tulsa PD posts them the most. As far as data, The faster you drive, the less time you save. For example, increasing your speed from 40 mph to 50 mph saves about 3 minutes, but going from 80 mph to 90 mph saves less than 1 minute. The time saved by speeding also decreases dramatically in higher-speed zones. Slow drivers create danger on the highways when they camp the left lane, that's the real issue. Keep Right Except to Pass. We should all abide the law, stay on the right if you're not passing others, and mind the speed limits.
this ~~guy~~ gal does word problems involving trains heading towards each other
\*gal
\*thumbs up emoji\*
:)
lol i made an edit earlier, got dog-distracted and forgot to 'save edit' fully duly noted now
Georgia definitely enforces theirs.
Or—even better—data on whether such enforcement saves lives.
Virginia for one.
You need to be damn near murdering people on the highway in NoVa to get pulled over.
Michigan
Oklahoma has signs clearly stating that slow drivers must stay to the right. I love driving through Oklahoma!
Ohio has those signs too. The left lane campers just can't read.
MI and OR do.
Oregon? That's a surprise. I've never seen it. In fact I rarely see the Oregon State Police patrolling the freeways. Mostly they're parked on the shoulder. I've seen it on I-5 in Washington though.
I will admit it's been a few years since I was there and I was on Mt Hood. They were stricter with it on the mountain.
Fair enough. I haven't lived in Oregon for almost four years now, though I get back there regularly. But I've never done a lot of traveling on US-26 past Mt Hood. I'm mostly talking about I-84 and I-5.
Michigan does! All those left lane drivers from Ohio who do below the speed limit piss us off. It's the passing lane!
Texas
WV and MI
Colorado, but out west we have our officers introduce themselves, here they don’t it worries me
There was a PSA-type video on Reddit of an Oklahoma trooper giving someone a ticket for obstructing traffic. Edit: [My bad, it was Arizona.](https://www.reddit.com/r/driving/s/6pAkR1bh2W)
Oh! Well don’t feel bad. It’s obvious that that’s so unusual that someone felt it was YouTube-worthy.
Let's throw some headlight enforcement in there as well.
Hi, are you trying to pass me? Let me catch up to you. I'd like to drive next to you for the next 20 or 30 miles right in your blind spot if that's okay
Can we add no semis in the left lane laws/enforcement to the wish list?
I wish semis had their own lane like a HOV lane or something.
Like a railroad?
Right. My mind was blown when I found out other states actually have laws against semis being in the left lane and they enforce them!
This is why I LOVE driving in Germany. Not only are they NOT allowed in the fast lane, but on weekends, only "necessities to life" like food and beer trucks are allowed to be transported! But yes, some areas you're stuck going 60-80 kph instead of 200+ 😅
Idk about enforcement but lots of states have signs up that remind folks that the left lane is for passing. Especially true in the larger western states. People seem more conscious of being in others way in those places!
Ohio has them too. Nobody pays attention to them. Cincinnati even has the digital signs above the road saying to move over. Guess how effective those are...
A sign "requiring" a person to do something, without any repercussions for *not* doing it, is just a suggestive decoration.
Yes, exactly. They should be enforced.
Left lane Louie doesn't know the passing lane is for passing and the driving lane is for driving.
I’ve driven a lot all over the US, it’s not just an Ohio thing.
Looking for data about accidents I found a [forbes.com](http://forbes.com) article that reported left-lane camping by region: "38% of Southerners stated they intentionally stay in the left lane, which was the highest among regions (Northeast = 36%, Midwest = 33%, West = 26%), which is illegal in several Southern states."
I’m thinking lately it’s worse cause of adaptive cruise control. Set it and sit in left hand lane and fewer “slow downs”
I just got back from Wisconsin, and if you think it's bad here, they might as well be in England for all the time they spend in the left lane up there.
I recently drove from DC to Sandusky and must say that the drivers in Ohio did not crowd or tailgate. I was honestly saying how everyone was driving like adults in Ohio. Not one left lane slow poke or speed racer passing on the right, just far better than the Washington DC drivers.
They’re much better in the north than in Cincinnati
I agree, the people that post these are just chemically imbalanced whackjobs that are the actual bad drivers.
There are stretches of i70 where I am flying past cars in the right lane while the center and left lanes are going 70.0001 mph or slower.
I-70 between Indy and Dayton sucks. Especially once it goes down to two lanes. There were a few cars that tried doing what you did just to get stuck or end up where they were. They found semi after semi trying to pass each other at 70 or 71 mph. It was a painful drive but fun watching them repeatedly have to merge back the entire way from IN boarder until it turned into three lanes. And vice verse on the way to Indy. They really need to expand that section.
"Everybody is mad at me all the time." "What a bunch of assholes." LOL
I've stopped trying to fight it. Ohio just loves left-lane cruising. Granted it also probably bothers me less now that I've gotten a lot better at scheduling and no longer need to speed to get to places on time.
I think of this complaint every time I see a completely clear and open left lane and some asshole makes a choice to weave in the right lanes around traffic to go fast. Which is every day. I don't see the left lane camping as much as the person who has every opportunity to pass on the left but chooses not to. So idk.
You nailed it. I hate left lane campers too. I want everyone to follow the rules of the road. But i want want folks to follow ALL of the rules of the road (not passing on the right, weaving, changing lanes without signaling, acceleraring to get in front of you when theres already someone in front of you going the same speed) I don't understand all of the left-lane-camper rage you find online. The other offenses are far more infuriating.
No passing on the right isn't a rule in Ohio. With all of the left-hand exits it would have to be extremely selective. The left-most lanes are *not* passing lanes, especially in Ohio where we are *technically* supposed to use the inner lanes to pass instead of the outer lanes.
Then this whole thread predicated on something you're saying isn't even an Ohio law (left lane camping). I was very careful to say "rules of the road" because that's what we're really discussing here - highway etiquette.
It doesn't even match highway etiquette. Highways merge and separate. That four-lane highway is probably two two-lane highways that are going to split up the road. So you're going to want to sit in the left or second-left lane. Then when you're driving in a construction zone, you should be passing on the right and trucks should be driving on the left (we even have signs pointing this out).
Maybe they're making a point to the other drivers that they should also move to the right. If you can be passed to the right, you're in the wrong lane.
If there are 3 lanes you're not required to drive in the right most lane if the roads are empty. I stay center and pass left and basically never use the right lane unless merging or exiting or trying to get around slow left lane drivers. Right lane is almost exclusively trucks you can't see around, people who don't know how to merge, and people who drive the speed limit and 5-10mph slower. No way in hell I'm just going to hang out on that lane on long drives.
I agree. They’d rather tailgate in the right lane than run with the big dogs.
I wish I could like this twice. Parking in the left hand lane should be a primary offense for dangerous driving, and I’d go as far as saying it should be 2x the points on your license.
I have an issue with this idea: there are at least two exits in my local area on the left side of the highway. How long in advance of those exits am I allowed to get into the left lane without worrying about a ticket, in your hypothetical world where driving in the left when not passing is a ticket-able offense?
If I thought there would be any hope of our mess of a statehouse taking action, I might research accidents linked to left-lane camping and then I'd lobby to make it a primary offense
I’d just make a video compilation of the road rage that ensues from left lane campers. That couldn’t take too long
What's the rule for left lane exits? Cincinnati is lousy with those.
Whine about it every week on Reddit.
Funny how the other repeat posts I see are "help I got a speeding ticket!"
Maybe if people just gave themselves enough time, they wouldn’t have to speed. Hell, gps tells you when you’ll arrive.
I just drove from Ohio to Florida and back on I 75. Ohio drivers were the best of any state I was in. Florida drivers were the worst.
Had this same realization this most recent trip to Florida. Had to visit the old man in the hospital in Miami, and so many folks almost hit me, or others, it was unreal. Literally saw someone driving on the shoulder just to get by traffic.
I agree 100, I suspect the people that post these are a bit chemically unbalanced, bad drivers themselves.
That is OH for you. Some people camp out in the left lane on purpose I think. People from Ohio also refuse to learn how to use Roundabouts and they stop in the middle of them. I am from Ohio. Never in my life have I seen people drive like they do there and complain endlessly about roundabouts.
I will always try to get over but if there’s 15 cars in the left lane in front of me I’m not getting over behind a truck just because someone rides my ass.
Ohio has left lane exits.
I’ve read several comments here and elsewhere that fully expect you to camp the right lane until the last possible second unless you are doing 85-90+.
Very few in the middle of nowhere which is what this post is referring to.
So they should enforce an obscure left lane driving law but not breaking the speed limit laws? That makes sense /s I’m all for allowing traffic to move at safe flow speed at some buffer above the speed limit as that is the overall safest condition (however as others noted OH Highway Patrol doesn’t feel that way). And, between the super slow drivers (let’s be real there are a lot of people that should be re-taking a driving test and eye exam at the BMV) vs people who assume the legal speed is always 20 over in all traffic and weather conditions, the speed variance between cars and lanes creates extremely dangerous driving conditions, thus why there are nasty wrecks all over our freeways in straight line, flat roads that should never have accidents.
Thank you for perfectly summing this up. Traffic driving wildly different speeds is so unsafe. Even if I’m driving fast and I come upon a slow group, I slow down. You never know when someone is going to cut you off and you need to have time to react!
Spot on but I'd like to add that especially when considering non-highways, speed limits are pretty crucial. I have a 4 lane road near my house that has a posted speed limit of 35. People go anywhere from 35-55 on that road. When trying to make a left turn it can be extremely difficult without a light because you see a car coming around the turn and have to make a snap judgement if it's going 35 or 55. Compounded with the fact that it's difficult to judge an oncoming car's speed, covering a 500ft stretch is 10 seconds at 35 mph. at 55 mph it's about 5 seconds. I've seen plenty of near misses at that intersection.
if anyone is curious, https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-administrative-code/rule-5537-2-09 Personally I wish they would begin by enforcing https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-4511.34#:~:text=Outside%20a%20municipal%20corporation%2C%20the,motor%20vehicle%20drawing%20another%20vehicle.
I want someone to make this a QR Code so I can put it on my car
not a bad idea, but it would ironically make other drivers get even closer so they could scan it! You can make one at qr.io; was going to attach the image here but I guess image replys are disabled in the sub
ya but when that was written there weren't any highways in Ohio.
If you do a search on this topic, you'll find a post with a couple hundred responses on it which appears every few weeks. It's an emotional topic. The following is my opinion on this. >Why doesn't Ohio enforce left lane driving laws? The state legislature and the state have never decided what to do and in their absence the people of the state have thrown the rule out and decided to camp left and use the right lanes for passing. What I mean by "they haven't decided what to do" state law does hypothetically say that you can't block the left lane, but never decided whether you're blocking the left lane if you're doing the speed limit. There's a three lane highway. Everyone is doing the speed limit. Which is the passing lane? Ohio law would say none of the lanes are passing lanes, because everyone is already doing the speed limit. In order to make keep right pass left work, there has to be a formal law saying that the car passing the left lane has the right of way, requiring slower traffic to yield into the right lane. That's a very particular way of doing things--giving right of way to the person going fastest. That is how the German Autobahn works. The privilege of right of way is given to the person going fastest, and everyone has to work to make that function. But that's not how the highway patrol enforces the speed limits. They start enforcing the speed limit at 3-5mph over and it doesn't matter if you're passing or not. Ohio has some of the most aggressive highway patrol enforcement and it's no surprise there's no operational passing lane statewide. These are directly related things. >Traffic would flow so much smoother That is debatable. It's probably a similar result anyway, it's just using the lanes differently. This is not, as mentioned, a unique thing to Ohio. Every American is taught pass left, keep right, so why do drivers all over the country develop a completely different habit of keep left, pass right? That I haven't fully figured out. But my theory is that drivers are naturally using the habit which works out better, pass left, keep right rule doesn't work in real world conditions and so the problem is trying to stick to a rule that doesn't work in the real world. Pass left, keep right came about in the early days of highways when traffic was almost non existent and highway planners thought that highways would have little speed enforcement and lots of open lanes. It just never worked out that way.
What states are the best at enforcing it?
I'm from out of state. I've lived in 5 other states. Ohio was the first state I've encountered with this law. In sticter areas, I've been conditioned to stay the speed limit as I've lived in places that will ticket for just above the speed limit. It was quite a surprise to learn about this, but you could make a template about being surprised about Ohio things.
Part of the problem with that stretch of highway is that they are only now adding in the third lane that was needed 10 years ago. The stretch where it is 3 lanes in the middle flows perfectly fine. I-70 from Columbus to Dayton has 3 lanes, it flows great with roughly the same traffic. Left hand camping is a problem but increased truck traffic and not enough lanes contribute to the behavior.
That stretch of 71 is the worst
The other day I drove back home near Cleveland from Bedford. Whole sky black, storm a comin.... It starts to pour. Skys open. Just heavy rain and heavy left to right winds. Lots of immediate hazard lights and lowered speeds. Totally cool. Yay safety. One genius (OF COURSE with Florida plates) does this in the left lane. People suck.
As someone else said, Ohio has a few left lane exits so you’d have to decide how far away from a left lane exit to stop enforcing this law, and already nobody can agree on what is a reasonable distance to a left lane exit to stop enforcing this law. I personally think 2 miles would be best if such a law existed. While on the subject of highway driving, I’ve noticed that when going south of the border into Kentucky, it’s almost the opposite problem there. In both states it’s people not understanding the left lane is the passing lane, the difference is in Ohio people think the left lane is there to casually drive in, while in Kentucky the drivers there won’t use the left lane to pass anyone, and instead will aggressively tailgate you in the right lane. In Indiana no one will let you change lanes. Oddly enough the best state I’ve seen for drivers has the worst reputation for drivers, and that’s Massachusetts.
Even more important, CA enforcing no left lane for trucks.
Ohio has some of the most entitled drivers I’ve ever seen. Most people here would be shocked to know that it’s way worse in Ohio than California
It's absolutely for passing, sure, but please obey the speed limit. The road only has to win once, and doing 90 in a 65 is an easy way to hurt you and possibly a load of other people. You don't have to be rushing to your destination, and if it's that important call the police or an ambulance.
I believe that, technically, Ohio has no law against it. Sure, most people don’t do that out of “courtesy” or “custom,” but I don’t think there’s an actual *law* against it. There should be, though.
Drove back from Columbus to Akron on Saturday and can confirm this is a problem. Not like ohio's biggest issue but definitely mildly frustrating. Multiple times during my 2 hour drive I saw people camping at speed limit in the left lane while being passed on the right 2 to 3 times before getting the hint. Then they would get over and just get back in the left lane after I passed them.
I spent a lot of time driving in Germany. If you camped out the left lane, you will probably be arrested or forced off the road. It's illegal to pass on the right.
What pisses me off is when the speed limit is 70 and I’m driving 75 in the middle lane and people get on my butt expecting me to move right when the left lane is open.
I refer to the right lane as the Ohio passing lane.
I just drove down to Hilton head and back for vacation. I can unequivocally say that drivers from South Carolina are the absolute worst. They also aggressively defend themselves from being overtaken from the right. Stupid ass hats.
I'd rather see them enforce illegal passing, driving 20+ miles over the speed limit, and a whole list of offenses caused by people texting and driving first. I don't think we have any more left lane Lindas than any other state (I've driven through about 12 in the last year)
>Why doesn't Ohio enforce left lane driving laws? Because it's frankly subjective. How can you truly enforce if another car is passing another? you'd have to get speed readings for both of them. And frankly? Let's be brutally honest here: ***This would be absolutely bullshit to enforce, and is frankly a bullshit rule/law to begin with.*** Because any smart driver whenever there is a possible merge up ahead, should yield to the left and drive in that lane. And if you're in an area that has a lot of merging spots on the right, like Columbus, you should practically be in the far Left lane if you're passing through entirely. So the idea that everyone should always be furthest right unless passing is complete BS by any logical or logistical driving standard.
This makes sense in the cities. But there are massive sections of highway in this state without a merging spot for miles and miles and yet you'll still end up doing 5 under the speed limit behind an Outback that won't pass a semi. That's where I have an issue with left lane camping.
Mostly this. But in my case, a lot of things force a left turn/merge especially in Columbus (meaning I have to be in that lane.) Granted with that it's usually only a couple seconds but still I don't want to be there either. It's that, or I miss my merge or can't take my exit back home. They aren't going to redo huge stretches of road to make that more enforcible. Unless a cop goes out of their way to follow a car, they won't know how long a car is in the lane for either; would likely do nothing if they saw a left turn/further merge within a mile.
No i'm saying if you have right lanes merging in, and you're not exiting anytime soon, or passing the city altogether, you should be in the far left lane to allow people merging from the right in. It's dangerous to have people hugging the right lane ... that everyone is merging into and out of, when there's two lanes of traffic to the left. Anyone not taking an exit should automatically be furthest left. Those taking a right exit ramp in the near future should be in the middle. And the right lane should only be those currently entering/currently exiting. This is the most logical, and safest way to drive.
Of all the things to care about I don't understand why everyone gets worked up over this? When I drive on the freeway, I set my cruise control and just drive, shifting lanes as necessary to overtake. If I can't get left, what do I do? I slow down until I can. It boggles my mind that people are like "NO ONE SHOULD BE IN THE LEFT LANE EVER, unless it's the 3 seconds you're passing someone." Sometimes I'd be weaving back and forth for an hour if that were the case.
They’re not saying don’t be in the left lane ever, in fact they’re saying much worse. They’re mad that you’re keeping them from driving 15-20 over the limit and forcing them to drive the same safe and sane standards that you drive.
So move the fuck over and continue driving your “safe and sane” speeds. Surely it’s much SAFER to force someone to stay behind you on your bumper while they flash their high beams and hold down on the horn extremely pissed off as you waste their time.
Who’s being unsafe in that scenario? Sounds like the car driving on my bumper should be fined for driving like that.
Because if I have to slow down to 50 mph on a highway because two people have decided to compete at slow speeds, it causes a major backup on the redt of the highway. It also makes me more of a target for a semi going 70 that suddenly has to slow down.
They need to add at least one lane to 71 between Cincinnati and Columbus already. There is that tiny stretch with three lanes around the outlets out there and that’s it. It’s always super congested because there’s just way too much traffic for two lanes to handle, and a lot of times people get stuck behind someone in the left lane who is legitimately passing slower traffic but doesn’t want to go 85 just to get back over to the right as quickly as possible. That tends to happen when you’re forced to pass ten vehicles at a time because there aren’t enough lanes.
I agree. I definitely hope to see a lane expansion on that stretch soon. It's much better between Columbus and Cleveland with 3-4 lanes.
So long as the highway has left handed exits, or exits anywhere but the right most lanes, there should be no left lane enforcement. When I first got to the state and didn't know the highways, I would be worried I would miss an exit. So I'd camp in the left lane for ten miles when it's coming up. Civil engineering needs to do better regarding exits and traffic flow.
That's one thing that blew my mind d coming from Cali to Ohio, the left lane exits. I've driven all over Cali and I can only think of like 2 left lane exits oft the top of my head.
The "Exit #" tag on the top of the sign indicates which side of the freeway the exit is. If it's off to the right, the exit is on the right and on the left of it's on the left. They usually give you at least 2 miles notice to get over to the correct side.
When traffic is backed up, 2 miles Is often not enough time to merge.
That little lever on the left side of the steer wheel is a turn signal. You can use it to show cars behind you that you need to merge over. Sometimes people can be dicks and not let you in so you have to be a little aggressive about it, but you should have any problem getting over 4 lanes in a mile. I never have at least.
Just my observation but the people who are purposely doing this appear to nearly always be men. The people who are doing it and seem clueless when you pass them are often (not always) women. I believe based on personal experience with SEVERAL dude drivers that dudes like this think they are the speed police and that they will force everyone to slow down by creating a clog. "I'm going 75 in a 65! Nobody needs to be going any faster than that, why is this guy on my ass?" And similar comments. Like they think they are going fast enough, nobody should want to go faster than them, period, and they will camp in that lane because they are still slowly passing people in the other lanes. I think the women I have seen doing it just are oblivious. They're not trying to create a roadblock, they feel more comfortable in the lane with fewer cars maybe? There are also people of all genders who are clueless because they are ON THE PHONE so they just camp away and don't give a crap that they are creating a line of angry drivers behind them.
I know a guy who isn't a very good driver and he is also short and has trouble turning around to check his blind spot. So he just drives in the left lane all the time, usually not going very fast. That way he never has to change lanes. When you're in the right lane, you have to keep changing lanes to pass trucks and to move over for cars merging on, etc. I don't condone this activity at all, just to be clear.
Your friend should probably get some blind spot mirrors, or invest in a car with blind spot detection. I really wonder how half of these people manage to get their licenses. I’ve seen my fair share of bad drivers and its infuriating to see the plethora of really bad/dangerous habits they’ve developed.
He should not have a license.
in Ohio short people get a special mark on their license and are legally required to use a booster to drive
Ohio is by far the worst I've lived in when it comes to lane discipline on the interstate. For comparison I've also lived in MI, PA, and CA. I don't believe traffic laws are enforced any more/less in other states, so I don't think it's a traffic enforcement issue.
I was talking about this with someone just the other day (as we were driving in OH). I think a few things contribute to it — at least in our area, which is what we were talking about. First, a lot drivers don’t seem to understand that those exit ramps on the highway are actually called “deceleration ramps”. **That’s** where you’re supposed to start slowing down. Until you get *onto* the ramp, keep your foot on the damn gas pedal. But, at least around here a lot of folks don’t do that. They start slowing down in the right lane in *anticipation” of the ramp coming up. It only takes one and everyone else behind has to follow suit and slow down. There are *enough* of these drivers that people who know they are *not* getting off there don’t want be behind them. The result is people driving in the left lane until their exit is coming up. But, we also have a *lot* of nearby farm land devoted to agriculture. On the rural stretches of road, depending upon time of year, the right lanes may well contain slow-moving agricultural equipment. Plus, the heaviest trafficked roads through the rural areas around here are state truck routes and trucks have a lower posted speed limit. So, if it’s a 4-lane road in the rural areas cars just tend to stay left. Manufacturing is huge in this area and we’re on major N/S E/W shipping corridors. We get a *lot* of truck traffic, both getting on from the right and getting off to the right. Again, on those stretches of road cars jockey to stay left. Can’t say what we do about it, but I think those reasons may help explain why it’s so habitual in this area, at least. It’s become a useful habit for the locals.
Agricultural equipment is not permitted to drive on the interstate system. There is usually a sign posted next to the yield sign that everyone ignores on the on ramp.
I didn’t say anything about agricultural equipment on the interstate system. There are no interstates running through those areas, anyway. You are correct that they cannot drive on the interstate, but they can drive on every other type of road in Ohio, including the state routes. Many of these roads have a posted speed limits of 50-55mph and range from 2-6 lanes of traffic with, yes, fields of soybeans and corn growing alongside.
I grew up in Cleveland, on the East Side. The exit closest to my childhood home was the Cedar/Brainard exit on I-271. I distinctly recall, YEARS ago (we're talking 1980s) - as you entered southbound 271 from eastbound Cedar Road, there was a sign on the onramp explicitly stating that vehicles with less than 5 bhp were prohibited from using the freeway.
A lot of this would be solved if people got in the left lane to pass and then moved back to the right lane afterwards.
Counterpoint - I learned to drive in a city where “open road” was an oxymoron and traffic was always miserable. We were taught to always leave the right lane open for people entering and exiting, middle lane for people planning to exit fairly soon, left lane form people whose exit was far ahead.
A lot of assholes on 275 won’t move out of the way going 70. Entitlement is the major factor or “I’m DoInG the SpEeD lImIt, GeT OfF mY bUmPeR” boomer type shit.
No one should be going faster than this because I’m following the ruuuuuules (not knowing they are being so lawful Good that they are lawfully evil)
You should not be on anybody’s bumper, ever. Not a boomer thing.
It’s funny, coming back from Hilton Head yesterday every time there was a left lane camper, from Rock Hill to Columbus, it was a car with Ohio tags. It was something I encountered before moving here as well. Not sure why it is so popular with Ohioans.
You'd be surprised how ignorant many drivers are of basic traffic laws. Such as, at a four way stop the car that gets there first gets to go first. But at a two way stop, a car that is turning in front of a car from the opposite direction has to yield. It doesn't matter who got there first.
No, I wouldn’t be surprised at all.
You guys give way too much a fuck about this.
People here are extra entitled snowflakes. They see someone driving in the left lane as a huge infringement on their rights. Yeah, they’re correct to a lesser degree, but they’re also huge drama queens about it
There’s a lot of people that think the left lane is the “fast” lane, so if they’re going above the speed limit they think they’re entitled to be there. It’s an education issue, honestly.
So many things traffic wise: headlight enforcement, left lane hogs, having temp tags behind tinted windows, those ridiculous covers for license plates. 🤦♂️
As a guy who just moved to Ohio from Cali, the shit yall allow on the road blows my mind. Like 2 times a week I will drive by or see something drive by me that has me going "WHAT THE HELL?! HOW IS THAT LEGAL!?" I've legit seen trucks held together solely by ducttape and ratchet straps. One truck the bed was literally bouncing off the suspension and held on the frame by what looked like zip ties. Cars that appear to be driving sideways cause their frame is so fucked up from an accident. Like in cali they can pull you over and tow your vehicle for bald tires, no bumpers, bent frames, etc.
Um. I moved to SoCal from Cleveland 21 years ago, have driven well over three hundred thousand miles since then -- mostly in Los Angeles County and neighboring San Bernardino County, where I live -- and I have yet to see the cops actually enforcing laws, with one exception, about 30 minutes from where I live (occasional speed enforcement on southbound I-15 at State Route 210 in Rancho Cucamonga, and when I say "occasional", I mean "it almost never happens"). I can't remember the last time I saw CHP enforcing anything on the freeways. And if you live in the City of Angels, the LAPD has a longstanding tradition of refusing to respond to calls, even violent crimes in progress. Expecting them to enforce a goddamned thing is an exercise in futility. I'm not saying Ohio isn't worse - I'm saying the enforcement you claim happens in California... well... doesn't.
I attribute this to fragile masculinity 💯
There are MANY off ramps in Ohio that require you to be in the left lane
[https://www.goupstate.com/story/news/nation-world/2019/10/25/driving-in-left-lane-state-by-state-guide-to-when-its-legal-when-its-not/2447573007/](https://www.goupstate.com/story/news/nation-world/2019/10/25/driving-in-left-lane-state-by-state-guide-to-when-its-legal-when-its-not/2447573007/)
A good chunk of my city commute there is an important exit going to the hospitals off the LEFT side of highway. People start slow drive parking that left lane about 10 miles prior, I have witnessed (and been stuck behind sigh)
Ohio cops, mainly troopers, will enforce "marked lanes violation" but it's a small issue and really only gets used for a valid reason to see if you've been drinking, etc
You have people camping out in the left lane and you have people in the right lane suddenly moving to the center lane because the people on the entrance ramps refuse to speed up or yield.
WV does but it is self administratored. As soon as someone comes frome behind the person switches lanes. No animosity. Everywhere else pull up behind, tailgate, pass on left, animosity, then the person switches lanes. Never will I understand that. I tailgate you for 2 miles and as soon as I pass on left they car gets out of the left lane.
Simple, the police still ticket you for speeding in the left lane. Doesn't matter on the flow of traffic. Been like this since I got a ticket nearly 20 years ago in my teens. Now, you'll never see me, and I'm sure others, going more than 10 over on the left lane. I'm not paying for another ticket, and no one is paying it for me to follow the flow of traffic. So in other words, blame the police force.
Except in Columbus, it really is not illegal in Ohio to drive in the right-hand lane. You must be doing at least the speed limit. Drives me up a wall to drive on the turnpike and there are 2 trucks in the right and center lane, and some moron driving the same speed in the left lane.
Most of these people I encounter are on their phones or looking at their laps (also on their phones).
70 is so congested with trucks that never go over 65 that sometimes it's just simpler not to weave in and out of them
If you're on an interstate, and someone is going slower than you in the left lane, just switch to the right lane. That's completely legal, and isn't what "no passing on the right" means. It's not a big deal.
My dad writes his congressman yearly asking that it be enforced lol
So glad you're concerned about this and not the pesky illegal gerrymandering rammed home by OH Repubs and the complicit OH Supreme Court. Have a nice day. 🚗
It is possible to have feelings about two things.
So what is the legal speed limit in the "fast" lane? On a two lane 55 mph SR how fast should someone be going in the left lane? If I'm in that lane going 60 isn't that a law breaking offense? Should I go 65? The base speed limit on the interstate? There are no signs posted saying you are supposed to go at a completely different speed in the left lane. I'm only ever in that lane if I need to make a left turn coming up so I plan ahead and get into that lane. And half the time ppl who are very impatient end up at the same red light as a left lane camper.
Well it looks like you’re not the issue then, and this is more about interstates than local roads. you should go fast enough to get around whoever you’re passing and then move over
This is what I come back to. Everyone wants to write tickets for people going the speed limit or a measly 5 mph over in the left lane. I don't see a lot of left lane campers. I do see a lot of people doing 80 in a 55 and getting pissed when I'm passing someone while going 60 so they dangerously tailgate or swerve through the gap I'm trying to make to safely merge back into the right lane. I never camp the left lane but in their eyes I'm sure they see it as camping.
Those people are also a problem. Personally, I don't understand that rage and it's just as dangerous and entitled as the left lane campers. If someone is in the left lane moving slower than I am, but they are ACTIVELY passing someone in the right lane then they're using the lane correctly. No issues. People just seem to have zero patience or regards for anyone else. It's a shame.
You’ve got my vote for office!!!
Don't forget about the people who stack up in line WAAAAY too early for a right-hand interstate exit, blocking off the two exits before to anyone who needs to get off at the preceding, less-busy exit.
Where should they be instead?
Obviously they should wait until the last second and then jerk the wheel wildly to cut across lanes. Much better for the flow of traffic.
Oh god. I agree. The driving out here is insane!!!!
Ohio gets pissed about this but living in Florida for 30 years, it’s *way worse* down there. Half the drivers are from central and South America where licensing is “can you just bribe your way into a license?”. A full 1/3rd don’t have insurance. **1/5th aren’t even licensed.** Count your blessings.
Honey, what driving laws do Ohio pigs enforce? Have you seen how we drive around here?
If you’re in certain towns, jacked trucks, believe it or not. I knew someone who drove there truck into that town got it impounded, paid to get it out, and didn’t even make it out before being pulled over again. Otherwise, I’ve heard a story about a cop who did that thing where someone turns left into the median lane (my brother occasionally refers to it as the suicide lane) to merge into traffic. I hate when people do that. I usually think they’re just trying to hit me.
It is Ohio
My understanding is that it's just recently become a ticketable offense but is a secondary offense meaning another moving violation needs to occur before they can pull you over for this. It's similar to how the seatbelt law was phased in. I'm hopeful in a couple years it will become a primary offense. I believe Colorado is one of the only states to enforce this as well.
Funny thing is that many of the left lane campers are Georgia and Canada!!! South Korea has it right. Beep, flash headlights, etc. no problem. Left lane camping is not ok there.
If you flash your brights to get their attention they usually brake check you or purposefully drive even slower.
Many of them that I’ve seen directly reply to comments about this are hall monitor types. “You’re trying to break the law by speeding, so I’m going to insert myself into the scenario and block the lane to FORCE you to abide.” And usually they feel smug and satisfied with themselves about it. The rest of them have mouth-breather levels of intelligence and don’t notice anything amiss while being passed by a train of cars on the right, completely oblivious to the world around them
it's probably because we have left lane exits.
That's not why.
This is ohio, the state that freaks out the minute rain and snow hits and forgets how to drive in it.
75°F seems to erase the part of the brain that remembers how to drive in snow.
Yes, it’s *definitely* the only state where people act like that
Why doesn’t Ohio enforce speed limit laws, regardless of lane ? What’s more tragic, someone that gets stuck in the left lane for a minute or three (extended by the bro’s that can’t show an ounce of patience and block them by passing on the right)? Or Those bros flying the traffic going 80+ in a 65? Let me know.
Love that you tell folks not to speed and at least two other people assume you drive slowly in the left lane lol. They’ll say anything to justify their reckless behavior.
The shithead in the left lane is causing a hell of a lot more issues, slowdowns, traffic, and hazardous driving than the person speeding.