People who refuse to keep left

I’ve seen so many people driving on clear empty highway just chilling in the right lane, forcing me to overtake on the left which is not ideal.
What’s your problem with keeping left?

Comments

    • -1

      You do know you're contributing to what's wrong with drivers and the fact you admitted to not obey the law is not only childish but dangerous.

      • But which part is he not obeying the law?

        For example, if applied to a NSW road rules:

        equal to or less then 80km/h, I will drive in whichever lane I choose.

        Correct given that the law is"The driver must not drive in the right lane" for roads with speed limits "greater than 80kmph."

        But also if a "keep left unless overtaking sign applies", which Iplau did not specify confirm or deny he does.

        Over 80 roads I always stick to left.

        That the right thing to do

        Some people don’t actually know the road rules and have people honk or flash at me. Don’t care.

        That's his opinion.

        There are a few other scenarios you are allowed to drive in the right most lane on >80kmph roads and you can brush on those rules here

        • +1

          when did we become so legailistic? To paraphrase a bit of wisdom: "All things are lawful, but not all things are expedient."

          Just stay left unless you have a reason to be in the right. always. It includes as pedestrains, it includes in shopping centres. If the shop you want is coming up on the right, it's okay to go across. Otherwise, do your window shopping on the left first, then do back the other way again on the left.

          We can make it law if you like, but the nany state haters won't like it. Can't we just do the right thing without having to be micromanaged?

          If the slow vehicles stick to the left, and we only use the right to the extend necessary, everyone wins… except the incompetent drivers who need 3 kilometers in the right lane to prepare for thier turn.
          My suggestion is we raise the bar to get a license. If you can't merge, you can't drive.

          Automated vehicles will soon be mainstream and I'm really hoping Australian drivers will be disqualified for making any decisions such as which lane to be in - that will all be automated. Or maybe we should need an advanced license to control the vehicle ourselves - standard licenses will be for "autos" (fully automated vehciles).

      • for roads signposted as 80kph or less, it is completely legal to drive in the right-hand lane. If you read the comments on this thread you will see people quoting the rules from different states which all say "keeping left" only applies to roads posted higher than 80kph.

        Just because you may not agree with the road rules, doesn't mean it's childish or dangerous.

  • -1

    If the highway is clear and empty, and you are "forced to overtake on the left", what are you doing in the right lane in the first place? If you are in the left lane, then don't worry about other drivers sitting in the right lane.

    • I worry about it because it creates an unnecessary high risk situation from such a little thing. If I’m continuing my speed on the left lane and overtake idler on the right lane near an on ramp, I can no longer move right to create space for people merging.

      • +4

        Well wait 5 seconds until your past the on ramp… what I’m reading is “I wanna do 120 in the right lane but people doing the speed limit are stopping me!”

        • Are you high or something? Did you even read my post. The freeway is near empty, there’s absolutely no reason someone should be idling in the right on a near empty freeway.

          • @asafasr: But if the freeway is near empty, there is no high risk situation surely….

          • @asafasr: So why are you in the right hand lane if the freeway is near empty?

  • +1

    The keep left rule is enforced, accepted and works well in other advanced countries. I don't know why it's ignored here and causes so much debate. It's ridiculous that we need 4/5/6 lane freeways because people refuse to keep left and block the freeway doing a few k's under the limit. Every time I use the freeway, there's always some cars blocking the outer lanes and people taking risky maneuvers to undertake, cutting up other cars.
    I think it's just people being arrogant and pig-headed…..this is my lane, I'm going to do whatever speed I want and move left for no-one.

    • -1

      Its getting a bit tedious now.

      What keep left rule are you referring to?

  • +1

    Oh goodie, another thread by the OzB social justice warriors who think they are all driving instructors flying along the roads at high speed.

    • +1

      Found another one!

      • Oh yes there you are indeed!

    • "keep left unless overtaking" is not advice

  • If it's a clear empty highway then why are you in the far right lane since you're needing to overtake on their left?

    You basically just said that you're hogging the right hand lane too.

  • You can only control your own vehicle, having a high situational awareness is the best thing a driver can do.
    As long there are humans behind the wheel road rules will always be broken.
    When you drive there's always a chance you may encounter a potentially dangerous driver. Accept and move on.

  • Australian driving standards are poor because the driving test is so damn easy to pass.

    • -1

      You must have pretty high standards when objectively, we have pretty low fatalies compared to the rest of the world:
      - 11th in the world for road tolls, 7.4/100,000 motor vehicles per year.

      • +1

        The Australia Road Toll is so low because of the combined efforts of urban ecologically aware drivers advocating for lower traffic speeds and the State Governments introducing higher penalties. Even if one only life is saved no restriction or penalty is too high.

        The revenue raised also helps support public transport and low carbon transport solutions - a win/win.

        Only selfish people don't support this.

  • Honestly if the road is fairly empty I'll "chill" in the right lane if that lane is less bumpy (don't know why but is often the case in my experience, maybe from less use?) but I'll move left the second someone is behind me and it is safe to do so. Obviously if they're coming up behind me they're going over the speed limit.

  • +1

    Two aspects:
    1. Chronic Selfishness.
    2. Complete Lack of driving skills.

    Overall also lack of police action.
    Considering there are cameras flashing your crutch to catch phone users, prosecuting Right Lane Hoggers will be a breeze and a gigantic source of revenue.

    • I suspect that right hand lane hogging is a lot more harder to police than you think.

      What 90% (probably more) of people think is right hand lane hogging will not pass in a court.

  • +1

    No one's forcing you to do anything.

    Being an aggressive driver is all on you.

  • -1

    i always do 115kmph on the right lane maybe even 120

    Speed doesn't kill, only lack of experience does
    My car stops faster than 90% of the cars on the road so don't give me every k over is a killer bs

    also keeping in the right lane gives me a better view to see the speed cameras posted on the left-hand side.

    Has worked for me for the past 10 years, don't plan on changing.
    '
    Speed limits are very outdated and dont match the standards of cars on the road today.

    They should get all cars that are 20 years or older off the road.

    • +1

      "Speed doesn't kill, only lack of experience does"

      What a useless and dangerous statement.

      Have seen enough people, at hospital, that die or have serious injuries from car accidents to know that you can't control everything on the road.

      • -1

        you have been brainwashed by the media and our revenue raising states if you actually think speed is the main factor

        • Not sure how you inferred that from my reply.

          But since you've bothered to conclude that, may as explain why you don't think "speed is the main factor".

          Do you want think it is a factor at all?

          Someone who uses terms like "brainwashed" are usually predictably;
          1) gullible, and themselves easily influenced by media
          2) incapable of a logical and thoughtful debate, and will use generalised terms to shut down any discussion, i.e. "revenue raising states". What do you even mean?

          Some objective evidence/statistics would be perfect.

          • @bs0: Easy

            1. If 'they' state "speed is a factor <insert event>" the literal, factual and only definition is that the vehicles WERE MOVING - It does infer anything more or less. Consult a traffic engineer if you doubt it.

            2. P platers and L platers have restrictions on speed, passengers, alcohol and vehicle capacities precisely due to lack of driving experience and a higher likely-hood of being involved in an accident.

            3. Experienced and older drivers are perceived by the actuaries at insurance companies to be a statistically lower risk and this is reflected in the premium discounts offered to these drivers.

            Wake up, look around and stop expecting others to provide common sense to you - whilst poncing around expecting to be spoon-fed objective evidence/statistics like an 'educated' try hard.

    • Speed doesn't kill, only lack of experience does

      Very old misconception.

      It is the sudden stop what may kill.

      Experienced or not. It is the sudden change from inertia of movement to static inertia.

      Besides, technically it is not exactly the sudden stop either what kills but how your internal organs being mushed because of strong G forces and a solid concrete object.

      Happy speeding.
      Just remember the entire police forces of Australia are focused in booking those that speed (that's why speed limits are sooo low/slow), please don't encourage them offering more revenue. Make them quit and look for crime instead … Don't gratify the arseh0les!!

    • +1

      I don't buy the whole "every k over is a killer" bs either, but it's quite silly to push the point that your car stops faster than most other cars on the road. Even if we agree that your car does indeed stop faster than other cars, what about your reaction time? Is it always going to be the same? No. You might be distracted by something. You might be tired. In both of those situations, your reaction time will be longer and as a result it will take you far longer to stop if you speed than if you hadn't been speeding.

  • Some people obsessing over the right-most lane when the title and most annoying are people not keeping left. As in the other 3 lanes of a 4 lane freeway for instance.

    When it's an "empty" road then no I wouldn't give a crap but when you've got the 3 slow cars in a row it's pretty selfish. Even worse is when it's an echelon of cars! Enough where they all could and should merge into the left one, or even two lanes. But no they take 3 or all 4 lanes, in a way where there's not enough room to "safely" overtake between them (but inadvertently it does promote dangerous weaving between them).

    • -1

      Quite simple. There is no keep left rule. Why do you expect people to obey a keep left 'law', when it does not exist.

      • +1

        Look up the rule book this has been in place for MANY years!!!

        • I can't. Because there is no such rule. Are you stupid or something.

          • +1

            @megaclix: No wonder we have an issue on the roads and you think I’m stupid haha. If it’s a dual lane and 90km/h or more it’s a road rule. Even if it wasn’t a rule it courtesy to keep left unless overtaking.

            • @bobwokeup: I don't really think your stupid :)

              Trouble is, the road rules are written as 'do not keep right'. Main stream Media, and even the Motoring bodies do not clarify this problem.

              There is no keep left in the road rules (apart from the single lane road, now that is pretty obvious).

            • +1

              @bobwokeup:

              Even if it wasn’t a rule it courtesy to keep left unless overtaking.

              People more obsessed with rule quoting baiting instead of common sense and courtesy … so definitely agree no wonder we have an issue here.

              • @dufflover: But, people are out there, correctly driving as the road rules allow. Then we have other people getting annoyed that they are not 'keeping left', because they think that that rule exists. When this gets pointed out, the keep left'ers generally revert to 'well, it's just courteous to keep left'.

                For me, I would like people to be courteous, and not speed.

        • +1

          Pretty obvious he was baiting you with with the "keep left" (common interpretation) vs "stay out of right lane" (actual legislation), but you took it hook, line, and sinker. Has done it a few times previously.

          Wouldn't be the case if you… Knew the road rules.

          • @bs0: Is that targeted to me? I am willing to be educated of I am wrong.

            • @megaclix: Nope, I thought I replied to Billybob, as in he should be the one to read up a bit on rules.

              I enjoyed seeing you try to bait others.

              • @bs0: Ah. If only. No one will bite.

              • @bs0: just reading these now as I wasn’t tagged. It’s a rule in every single state and it’s either if above 80km/h or 90km/h with minimum 2 lanes.

                You can check all states official website or just read this article that sums it up.

                • +1

                  @bobwokeup: @billybob1978
                  The bait is there is no "keep left " rule (even for >80kmph or 90kmph. Rather the rule is, "The driver must not drive in the right lane unless" which is often mis- interpreted as a must "keep left" rule. i.e., must be in left lane only vs can be in left or middle lanes for speeds >80kmph.
                  Technical difference, easy mistake, by a lot of commenters. Hence the bait by megaclix

  • I often find myself in the right hand lane on the Southern Expressway (Adelaide). I drive at the speed limit which is the speed according to my GPS, not the speedo in my car and hence I normally pass cars in the left lane.

    I still end up with people up my ass regularly, flashing their lights and beeping horns. I normally just respond with the middle finger and if I am a couple of kilometres over the limit you best believe I'm dropping those so I end up doing EXACTLY the limit.

    • Once you have overtaken the slower cars on the left, you should move back to the left lane.

      • Hard to do in peak hour when both lanes are normally pretty full. Also because most people either don't have a dashcam or ignore the speed reading on it I normally continually pass cars in the left lane anyway.

      • exactly you have to think about the driver wanted to break the speed limit.

  • +2

    I think my favourite line of the slow left hand hog is:

    “But the traffic is going too slow in the left lane.”

    Then they proceed to sit in the right lane doing their perceived safe speed thus slowing down everyone else that wants to do the speed limit.

    I’m baffled why people here even try to defend themselves for doing it…

    • I agree, so many people are using a million different excuses, be polite and considerate, just move over and let the faster car past.

      I find the biggest reason people don't do it is because they don't check their rear vision mirror and don't even know someone is there.

  • It could be foreigners causing it, I noticed it was harder to keep right on interstates in USA

  • +1

    Speeding doesn't cause accidents. Poor drivers, poor judgement, texting on the phone etc are the main causes

    People who drive under the speed limit in the RH lane should stay at home and surrender their drivers license

  • It's annoying but it's not illegal to stick to the right lane on a 2 lane road. In Victoria people only need to give way on a 3 lane, 80 zone.

  • what's your problem with sticking to the speed limit?

  • Another issue that is rife (esp. in Melbourne) is that people don't even indicate changing lanes

  • What's so hard to understand? Keep left unless overtaking means exactly that.

    The speed you are doing is irrelevant. The speed the person trying to overtake you is irrelevant.

  • I have a question that I think is relevant to this thread.

    Let's say a highway, so a 100km/h multi lane road. If you are in the rightmost lane, and you have overtaken a car in the left lane, how far do you need to pass the other car to safely move back into the lane in front of them.

    This is something where I think I drive different to what many drivers in SE Qld find acceptable. I generally drive with a greater (in my view, more sensible) breaking distance to many other drivers. I think the 2s rule works quite well.

    As such, I want to clear more like 4 to 5 car lengths before even considering to move in front of another car at 100km/h.

    During this time, impatient drivers could (and probably do) conceive this to be a driver staying in the right lane, and then proceeded to undertake (aka overtake in the left lane).

    I quit often get cars moving into my lane in front of me with say 2 car lengths. WTF

    • how far do you need to pass the other car to safely move back into the lane in front of them.

      As far as reasonably possible to ensure a safe distance without cutting off the other vehicle. This distance will be different if you are changing lanes in front of a hatchback compared to a truck.

      During this time, impatient drivers could (and probably do) conceive this to be a driver staying in the right lane

      If you have been indicating to change lanes, they should be aware of this. Doesn't always happen, unfortunately.

      If you are maintaining an overtaking speed compared to the vehicle you have just passed, you can start to slowly change lanes knowing you will be even further in front once your vehicle has completed the change lane process, especially if you have your indicator on as you pass the other vehicle, not just waiting until 100m down the road before putting it on. I find this reduces the leeway for other drivers to think you aren't about to change lanes.

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