Driving in the middle lane of a 3 lane hwy.

For me, it all depends on the traffic situation and how familar I am with that stretch of road.
I drive a truck governed at 60, so I prefer NOT to run the center lane. having said that though, if traffic is heavy, with a lot of traffic entering and exiting, I prefer the second lane for safety reasons. Also, to many times I've been running along in the right lane in an unfamilar area only to find myself slowing to a crawl, adding to the traffic hazard, trying to merge left when the right lane suddenly turns into an exit only lane or is coming to an end.
The way I see it, if you're speeding and come up behind one of these governed trucks, and you're in THAT much of a hurry that seconds count, move over and pass them in the left lane. Sure, trucks aren't allowed over there but hey, you're already breaking the law by speeding, what's one more broken law?
Believe me, I'm not happy about being a rolling road block either, but it's not my decision. Driving where I feel safe for me and the traffic around me IS my decision.

 

Well said... I do the same here

 

First off I don't cuss at anyone in the center lane during heavy traffic! Now if your one of those idiots who are in the center lane when there is no traffic just cause you want more elbow room, well that just shows your lack of professionalism!

Oh and since your such a law abiding truckdriver shouldn't you be in the right lane anyway since that sign does say "Slower Traffic Right Lane Only" or something to that effect?

Reality is this...Majority of truckdrivers run anywhere from 3-5mph over the posted speed limit. Is it legal...NO, but its reality!



You are driving along at the speed limit and come up on a slower moving vehicle. You check your mirrors to pass on the left and all is clear. You signal, begin to switch lanes, and out of nowhere some ####### pulls out and speeds off around you causing you to slam on your brakes and swerve your truck back into your lane (I am in a tanker, so this is particularly dangerous for me).

You do realize if you roll that tanker cause you swerved to miss someone who was in the wrong you are at fault right??

 

Thats the great thing about Ohio...we have no lane restrictions. But if traffics heavy the chances that anyone is doing the speed limit is unlikely.

 

It's OK to run in the center lane as long as you are running with or faster then the flow of traffic. I hate the ones that are running slower than traffic creating a road block.

 

If you are getting passed on the right you are in the wrong lane. Alot of city's prevent bigtrucks from the far left lane which then in turn puts the middle lane as the passing lane for big trucks. If you want to do the speed limit no one is preventing you or asking you not to, but in the same respect you are preventing others from speeding. It is not safe to pass on the right and if you are in the middle lane whats a speeder to do? You should not be preventing others from driving the way they want. Peace.

 

You nailed yourself here. You admit the reason you pass on the right is because you are speeding.

 

Ya?? Whats the problem? You missed the point. If the speed limit is 55 and I want to do 65 so what. If you are in the middle lane doing 55 you are blocking my way. Its not your or anyone els's job to prevent me from getting a speeding ticket if I so choose..

 

I run with the traffic. If it is slow in the middle, I deal with it. I guess that is best since I have no speeding tickets since 1977.

 

That is the correct answer.

NTSB will (or at least should) tell you that the fastest 15% and slowest 15% of drivers are the ones who cause the most problems on the road. In other words, it's NOT just speeders, it's also those who are going significantly slower than traffic flow. Yes, if you are doing exactly the speed limit while traffic flow is 10mph faster, YOU ARE WRONG (of course, if you have no choice, that's another matter)

If you are also in the middle lane, YOU ARE WRONG. It doesn't matter a whit that the speed limit is, if you are significantly slower than traffic flow, you belong in the right hand lane (gee, I wonder why we call it the granny lane?). A LEO is perfectly within the law to write you up for impeding traffic - and it does happen.

Moving over to avoid an exit or whatever is a judgment call, but not a valid excuse to RUN in the middle lane in and of itself.