You know, I was tempted to note (US) after the lanes. I see now that people get angry if you don’t. The logic still applies though. The first lane is for entering/exiting. The middle are for cruising, driving a steady pace near the speed limit. The inside is for passing.
If there is an open lane to the inside, the person trying to pass someone already doing a reasonable pace should be the one making the change. If there’s not, then yeah, the slower vehicle needs to go ahead and move over.
For traffic to flow safely and predictably, we should strive to do what the law prescribes, so that everyone is on the same page instead of everyone operating according to their own made up rules. The law in most places is keep right if possible, regardless of how many lanes there are.
The most dangerous act while driving on a multi-lane highway is lane changes. When there are entrances/exits every mile or less, I’m not going to merge into the lane that merges with the on ramp, be in the way of people trying to get on, and merge back to the inside in, what, 4 seconds? If I followed that logic, I would be weaving between lanes. Similarly, if I’m in, say lane 3 and actively passing a column of cars, but someone faster is coming up behind - I’m going to merge when it’s -safe- to do so. Yes, I could technically squeeze in between two of the cars in the column I’m passing slightly slower than the guy behind me, but that’s just not safe. And, if there is a lane further inside, THEY should be merging to get around.
In almost every activity you’ll do, there are prescribed “right” ways to do things that usually work, but sometimes require a little bit of an exception. Smooth traffic flow and minimizing dangerous maneuvers is one of those times.
It is illegal and dangerous to overtake on the right.
It optimizes the capacity of the road. If you are in the middle lane with nobody to the right of you, the space to the right of you can’t be used by anyone, because of point 1.
To address some of your points:
be in the way of people trying to get on
The onus is on the people who are trying to get on to merge properly. Moving over for people who are merging is generally discouraged. Personally, I only do it for slower traffic (large trucks) or with short, difficult on-ramps.
in, what, 4 seconds
The way keep-right is policed is that you are only expected to move back to the right lane if that lane is free for a reasonable distance. Police typically use a margin of 20-30 seconds or so of middle lane camping without passing anyone before ticketing you.
I’m going to merge when it’s -safe- to do so
As you always should. Keep right doesn’t change that.
I could technically squeeze in between two of the cars in the column I’m passing
See above. You are never expected to squeeze in between two cars. As long as you are passing you are allowed to be in a lane to the left of the traffic you are passing. The faster driver coming up behind you just needs to wait until you have finished your pass and have the space to move over.
Anyway, my point still stands. You may prefer your keep-your-lane logic over keep-right logic, but in large parts of the world it is against the law, and you should try to follow the laws of where you are. I’m not saying keep-your-lane logic is indefensible when considered in a vacuum, I’m saying you’re not in a vacuum so you should be predictable and follow the same rules as everyone else.
Honestly it sounds like we’re describing the same driving style, and I’m just pointing out nuances to the specific wording of the law. And, ultimately, it boils down to, as you said, the driving habits (more than the actual laws) of the area you’re in. I do, in fact, live in the states, where those kinds of rules aren’t really enforced, and people weave through lanes more or less however they want. In that environment, minimizing your own lane changes is maximizing predictability.
For what it’s worth, I don’t ever foresee a time where I’ll be driving in any other countries, but in that event, yeah, I’ll have to adjust a bit, probably.
You know, I was tempted to note (US) after the lanes. I see now that people get angry if you don’t. The logic still applies though. The first lane is for entering/exiting. The middle are for cruising, driving a steady pace near the speed limit. The inside is for passing.
If there is an open lane to the inside, the person trying to pass someone already doing a reasonable pace should be the one making the change. If there’s not, then yeah, the slower vehicle needs to go ahead and move over.
No it doesn’t outside of [parts of] the US.
For traffic to flow safely and predictably, we should strive to do what the law prescribes, so that everyone is on the same page instead of everyone operating according to their own made up rules. The law in most places is keep right if possible, regardless of how many lanes there are.
The most dangerous act while driving on a multi-lane highway is lane changes. When there are entrances/exits every mile or less, I’m not going to merge into the lane that merges with the on ramp, be in the way of people trying to get on, and merge back to the inside in, what, 4 seconds? If I followed that logic, I would be weaving between lanes. Similarly, if I’m in, say lane 3 and actively passing a column of cars, but someone faster is coming up behind - I’m going to merge when it’s -safe- to do so. Yes, I could technically squeeze in between two of the cars in the column I’m passing slightly slower than the guy behind me, but that’s just not safe. And, if there is a lane further inside, THEY should be merging to get around.
In almost every activity you’ll do, there are prescribed “right” ways to do things that usually work, but sometimes require a little bit of an exception. Smooth traffic flow and minimizing dangerous maneuvers is one of those times.
The logic behind the keep-right law is this:
To address some of your points:
The onus is on the people who are trying to get on to merge properly. Moving over for people who are merging is generally discouraged. Personally, I only do it for slower traffic (large trucks) or with short, difficult on-ramps.
The way keep-right is policed is that you are only expected to move back to the right lane if that lane is free for a reasonable distance. Police typically use a margin of 20-30 seconds or so of middle lane camping without passing anyone before ticketing you.
As you always should. Keep right doesn’t change that.
See above. You are never expected to squeeze in between two cars. As long as you are passing you are allowed to be in a lane to the left of the traffic you are passing. The faster driver coming up behind you just needs to wait until you have finished your pass and have the space to move over.
Anyway, my point still stands. You may prefer your keep-your-lane logic over keep-right logic, but in large parts of the world it is against the law, and you should try to follow the laws of where you are. I’m not saying keep-your-lane logic is indefensible when considered in a vacuum, I’m saying you’re not in a vacuum so you should be predictable and follow the same rules as everyone else.
Honestly it sounds like we’re describing the same driving style, and I’m just pointing out nuances to the specific wording of the law. And, ultimately, it boils down to, as you said, the driving habits (more than the actual laws) of the area you’re in. I do, in fact, live in the states, where those kinds of rules aren’t really enforced, and people weave through lanes more or less however they want. In that environment, minimizing your own lane changes is maximizing predictability.
For what it’s worth, I don’t ever foresee a time where I’ll be driving in any other countries, but in that event, yeah, I’ll have to adjust a bit, probably.