I'm honestly just stunned and dumbfounded at these responses. Are you guys watching his video with your eyes closed or something?
He as not driving slow in the left lane by choice. He is going as fast as the cars in front of him will allow. That is not "camping" or "sleeping" in the left lane. And it is not at all against any traffic regulations. He has absolutely no obligation in any way, shape, or form to move over.
On a high-trafficked freeway, it is not possible to reserve the left lane for passing only. Can you just imagine what would happen? 5 or 6 lanes of bumper-to-bumper traffic and a clear left lane? So everyone in the #2 lane then moves to the left (#1) lane to "pass", and it slows to bumper-to-bumper just like every other lane. Is this not obvious to you?
So at this particular moment, some of the right lanes were moving faster (a temporary condition in traffic). What would you have everyone in the left lane do? All of them immediately move over to the right to clear the "passing" lane? And then the above scenario would immediately happen as everyone who wants to go faster (which is everyone on the freeway) immediately tries to get into the left lane to pass.
On many freeways in large cities, there are left-hand exits to other freeways. Sometimes because of traffic patterns, those might stack up and you get a long line of slow-moving traffic in the left lane because of the number of cars who need to exit. Is everyone supposed to move to the right to allow the left lane for "passing", so that at the exit you simultaneously have the "exiters" crossing from #2 lane to exit, while the "passers" move from #1 to #2 to avoid the exit? That sounds safe.
I don't know how many of you don't live in a large city or have very little in-city freeway driving experience, but your notion that the left lane is supposed to be for "passing" in the OP's situation could not be more wrong. That is not how in-city freeway driving works. At rush hour traffic, all lanes are moving well under the speed limit, frequently stop-and-go. There is no such thing as a "passing" lane at that point.
TL;DR:
The truck is an A-hole, the OP did nothing wrong, and you guys need more in-city driving experience.
I think DC qualifies... comments still stand, get out of the fast lane if you wanna play with autopilot and go 20 MPH under the lane to your right and yes the truck was an A-hole too.
Which U.S. cities were the worst? Led by Los Angeles, the ten most congested American cities, and the number of hours spent in traffic, were as follows:
- Los Angeles – 102
- New York City – 91
- San Francisco – 79
- Atlanta – 70
- Miami – 64
- Washington, D.C. – 63
- Boston – 60
- Chicago – 57
- Seattle – 55
- Dallas – 54
State "keep right" laws
Source: State "keep right" laws
All states allow drivers to use the left lane (when there is more than one in the same direction) to pass. Most states restrict use of the left lane by slow-moving traffic that is not passing. The table below describes the law in effect in each state.
A few states permit use of the left lane
only for passing or turning left. These have "yes" in the "keep right" column. Some states require drivers to move right if they are blocking traffic in the left lane. These have "yield" in the "keep right" column. Most states follow the Uniform Vehicle Code and require drivers to keep right if they are going slower than the normal speed of traffic (regardless of the speed limit; see below). These are listed as "slower". A few states either do not require vehicles to keep right ("no"), or permit vehicles moving at the speed limit to drive in the left lane regardless of traffic conditions ("< SL").
State "Keep Right" Laws
State Keep Right? Law Comments
Alabama Slower
32-5A-80(b)
Alaska < SL
13 AAC 002.50(b)
Arizona Slower
28-721(B)
Arkansas Other
27-51-301(b)
Law prohibits obstructing traffic by driving continuously in the left lane.
California Slower
CVC 21654(a)
The duty of slower traffic to keep right applies "notwithstanding the prima facie speed limits."
Colorado Slower 42-4-1001(2), 42-4-1103(3), 42-4-1013
The left lane is reserved for passing where the speed limit is 65 or higher. A
state brochure discusses the law.
Connecticut Slower
14-230(b)
Passing on right on Interstate prohibited when only two lanes:
14-233(4)
Delaware Slower
21-4114(b)
Florida Yield
316.081(2) and (3)
Slower traffic keep right and all traffic yield left lane to traffic approaching from behind.
Georgia Yield
40-6-40(b),
40-6-184
Slower traffic keep right and (since 2014) all traffic yield left lane to traffic approaching from behind.
Hawaii Slower
291C-41(b)
Honolulu prohibits driving more than 5 MPH under the limit in the left lane.
ROH 15-7.4.
Idaho Slower
49-630(2)
Illinois Yes
625 ILCS 5/11-701(b), (d)
Keep right except to pass on limited access highways since January 1, 2004.
Indiana Usually
9-21-8-2(b)
As of July 1, 2015 the left lane of a multilane highway is for passing.
Iowa Slower
321.297(2)
Kansas Yes
8-1522(c) 8-1514(b)
Keep right except to pass on rural roads since July 1, 2009.
Kentucky Yes
189.340(7)
Keep right except to pass where speed limit is at least 65.
Louisiana Yes
R.S. 32:71
On multilane highways keep right except to pass and move right if blocking overtaking traffic.
Maine Yes
29A-2052(6)
Keep right except to pass where speed limit is at least 65.
Maryland < SL
21-301
Keep right if driving 10 MPH under speed limit, or slower than speed of traffic if conditions require speed below limit
Massachusetts Yes
MGL 89-4B
Passing on right prohibited on undivided two-way road,
MGL 89-2.
Michigan Maybe
257.634
Keep right except to pass except in heavy traffic or on freeways with three or more lanes.
Minnesota Slower
169.18(10)
Mississippi Slower 63-3-603(d)
Missouri Right
Montana Usually
61-8-321(2)
May also use left lane to allow traffic to merge or "when traveling at a speed greater than the traffic flow."
Nebraska Slower
60-6,131(2)
Nevada Slow
484B.627
Slow-moving vehicles must move right if "imped[ing] ... movement of traffic." Effective July 1, 2017, a vehicle in the left lane of a controlled access highway must move right when a faster vehicle approaches.
New Hampshire Slower
RSA 265:16
New Jersey Yes
39:4-88
Keep right except to pass. Passing on right prohibited unless vehicles are in "substantially continuous lines." 39:4-85.
New Mexico Slower
66-7-308(b)
New York Slower
V&TL 1120
North Carolina < SL
20-146(b),(e)
Keep right if below speed limit. Some highways are posted "slower traffic keep right."
North Dakota Slower
39-10-08(2)
Ohio < SL
4511.25
Oklahoma Slower
47-11-301,
47-11-309
One law requires vehicles below the speed limit to keep right. Another requires vehicles below the normal speed of traffic to keep right.
Oregon Slower
811.315
Pennsylvania Usually 75-3313(d), 75-3301(b) May also use left lane to allow traffic to merge or "when traveling at a speed greater than the traffic flow."
Puerto Rico < SL Title 9 §5123
Rhode Island Slower
31-15-2
No passing on right on two-way street.
31-15-5.
South Carolina Slower
56-5-1810
South Dakota No
32-26-1
Only "slow moving vehicles" need to keep right.
Tennessee Slower 55-8-115(b)
Yield to faster traffic in left lane effective July 1, 2016.
Texas Slower
545.051(b)
Most rural interstates are posted "left lane for passing only" pursuant to
544.011. Passing on right prohibited except on one-way roadways.
545.057.
Utah Yield
41-6a-701, 41-6a-704
Must move right to let faster traffic pass.
Vermont Slower
23-1031(b)
Virginia Yield
46.2-804(1) 46.2-842.1
Yield left lane to faster traffic on signal.
State police say this applies even when faster traffic is speeding.
Washington Usually
46.61.100
May also use left lane to allow traffic to merge or "when traveling at a speed greater than the traffic flow."
West Virginia Slower
17C-7-1(b)
Wisconsin Slower 346.05(3)
Wyoming Slower
31-5-201(b)
Since July 1, 2005, it is illegal to obstruct traffic moving within the speed limit by driving in the left lane for a long time.
31-5-304(c)
The Uniform Vehicle Code states:
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 ...
This law refers to the "normal" speed of traffic, not the "legal" speed of traffic. The 60 MPH driver in a 55 MPH zone where everybody else is going 65 MPH must move right. Contrast Alaska's rule, 13 AAC 002.50, allowing vehicles driving at the speed limit to use the left lane, and Colorado rev. stat. 42-4-1103, prohibiting blocking the "normal and reasonable" movement of traffic.
Enforcement is inconsistent. Toledo police used to ticket truck drivers for driving at the 60 MPH speed limit in the left lane. Police looking for criminal activity frequently use the "keep right" law as a pretext to stop a suspicious car. On the other hand, a New York judge announced that he would not convict drivers for blocking speeding traffic, People v. Ilieveski, 175 Misc. 2d 943; 670 N.Y.S.2d 1004 (Monroe County N.Y. 1998).
See also the
speed law list.
