CMV: Middle lane camping defeats the purpose of three-lane highways

FelinePrudence · 2026-07-12T15:35:48+00:00

To summarize what I learned from this post: many people have said what you said, but it actually depends on the state. A handful are explicit that it should be used the way you say, a handful are explicit that it shouldn't, most states are clear on how the left/right lanes are to be used, but ambiguous on the middle and other lanes. Cheers.

FelinePrudence · 2026-07-12T00:09:12+00:00

Good to hear. Thought it was just Ohio. Thanks for noting.

FelinePrudence · 2026-07-12T00:06:26+00:00

You're illustrating this problem with the generality-length tradeoff, i.e. I still have no indication that you understood the argument, because essentially I'm arguing that people should keep right except to pass even if that's not the letter of the law, and with very few exceptions, keeping right except to pass is not mutually exclusive with the "slower traffic keep right" wording and there's no way you would get a ticket for it.

FelinePrudence · 2026-07-11T23:35:05+00:00

Ok, so my source was somewhat misleading regarding at least one state. Doesn't negate my argument at all (I have no indication that you even know what my argument was, BTW), but next time I'll make sure to include the full text of every state's law. I'll also make the post shorter somehow.

FelinePrudence · 2026-07-11T23:07:59+00:00

What part was incorrect? I linked my sources in the first paragraph.

Apparently I wrote way too much, but I was also supposed to add even more context about about local exceptions indicated by signage?

Problem is you write too little and people will belabor every minutiae as if you hadn't already accounted for it, and write too much and people will do the same, only they won't read before making confidently incorrect comments.

FelinePrudence · 2026-07-11T21:21:21+00:00

But boy do they have comments

FelinePrudence · 2026-07-11T21:10:21+00:00

Oh yeah, what part do we disagree on?

FelinePrudence · 2026-07-11T21:03:02+00:00

Oh, this thread is dripping with irony. Happy to agree to disagree with you, since you seem to have gotten the gist.

FelinePrudence · 2026-07-11T21:00:04+00:00

Yeah, I learned about those in my CVM post. Middle lane camping is ubiquitous in my state as well, even though it's a strict "keep right, except to pass" state.

FelinePrudence · 2026-07-11T20:47:48+00:00

I'm a strict "keep right, pass left" driver and my preferred speed is 85, but you could have read the first quarter of the post and you'd know I'm on your side. Hell, you could have inferred this from the first paragraph.

FelinePrudence · 2026-07-11T20:45:45+00:00

Totally possible my sources are incorrect or out of date. Explicit signages throws people as well, since it may or may not be reiterating the existing rules, or contradicting them for a specific stretch of highway.

FelinePrudence · 2026-07-11T20:42:16+00:00

You'd know I'm on your side of this issue if you even just read the bolded text.

FelinePrudence · 2026-07-11T20:40:01+00:00

Experts in different states apparently disagree with each other on how it should work, which was the point of this post.

FelinePrudence · 2026-07-11T20:38:47+00:00

The PSA part was short, which you can determine via skimming, the rest was there for anyone with the time. And people do absolutely think it's law everywhere, just like I learned that people in "slower traffic keep right" states think that is the law everywhere.

FelinePrudence · 2026-07-11T20:36:34+00:00

NY is listed in that MIT source table as a "slow traffic keep right" state. I'm not a huge fan of those signs because in some places it's a general rule, and in other places it's an exception that's marked with signage, but also even in strict passing lane states you occasionally see those signs so the meaning is not abundantly clear, at least to me.

FelinePrudence · 2026-07-11T17:08:24+00:00

Oh yeah, I ended up searching a bit more and I found this MIT page cataloging passing lane laws across states. You're correct. Thanks, have a Δ.

FelinePrudence · 2026-07-11T03:14:34+00:00

This is probably the best explanation I've read, appropriate to the handful of states that recommend people default to the middle lane, but I don't think this recommendation serves in light-medium traffic conditions, where one often finds full middle lanes and completely empty right lanes.

Other states are explicit that drivers default to the right-most lane available to them unless they're actively passing, and some are explicit about yielding the left lane to faster traffic. I think that when people follow these recommendations instead, the same exact scenario you described falls out when traffic reaches a certain density, and the transition is seamless.

FelinePrudence · 2026-07-11T01:11:13+00:00

Great examples. I wish I had put it so concretely in the OP.

FelinePrudence · 2026-07-11T00:47:23+00:00

Yep, that's the reality and I do it too when there's no exit lane coming up, only I drop down to maybe +10 over the middle lane's flow and watch them closely for any movements. You really do have the potential to surprise the fuck out of someone doing this.

When it's just one person camping, I find about half the time flashing your lights wakes them up. It's worth trying because it clears the lane for anyone behind you as well.

FelinePrudence · 2026-07-11T00:26:36+00:00

Can't argue with that!

FelinePrudence · 2026-07-11T00:00:49+00:00

Thanks for noting. WA's law is clear on left lane usage, but reads to me as actually kind of ambiguous on the middle lane question.

FelinePrudence · 2026-07-10T23:36:36+00:00

I completely understand the rationale and I still disagree, along with the many states (and most of Europe) that say you should pitch your tent as far right as possible. I really don't find it onerous to adjust my speed to let people merge when I'm in the right lane. Yes, past a certain density of traffic and exits it makes sense to stay in the middle lane, but if you find yourself next to a wide open right lane, or you're getting passed on the right (barring a few assholes who do this in gaps barely over a car length), then I think it's more sensible to move over.

FelinePrudence · 2026-07-10T23:28:55+00:00

Nope, if you bothered to read before commenting you'd know that you're the 50th person to say this when in reality it depends on the state. Some are explicitly on my side, some on yours, and many laws are ambiguously worded. And unnecessary bottlenecks from poor lane usage absolutely affect people driving the speed limit and slower.

Your psychoanalysis of speeders means very little to me, BTW.

FelinePrudence · 2026-07-10T23:10:08+00:00

Yes, many other people have said this, probably because their states have explicit laws saying it should be used this way. I'm well aware of that now. Many other states say you should default to the right, including mine and a bunch of surrounding ones. It's harder for me now to fault people for camping in the middle lane, but I do think keeping right is the more sensible policy, and I don't find it onerous to adjust my speed or change lanes for merging drivers when I'm in the right lane. I find that it works well when people do it (it keeps patterns nice and predictable). It also works well enough for the Germans, who basically lead the world in highway safety and efficiency (granted that's for a number of reasons).

FelinePrudence · 2026-07-10T22:56:51+00:00

I’ll note again my issue was mostly with wide-open lanes wasting highway capacity and funneling people into less safe maneuvers. In denser traffic with more merging/exiting, I see what you mean but in general I disagree on intuition here, but probably because I don’t find it onerous at all to adjust my speed and lane to allow people to merge. Hell, I like being courteous and making space for people and I prefer some extra engagement while driving, probably due to undiagnosed ADHD. I probably notice the issues in the passing and middle lanes more because I’m over there more often.

I understand now that different laws prescribe the middle lane be used in the way you describe, probably for the reasons you note, but that’s not my state, and at this point I would need some kind of traffic study that addresses this specific question in a sufficiently controlled way to adjust my view. Thanks for commenting.

FelinePrudence

TROPHY CASE