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Which lane do you ride in?

7K views 40 replies 30 participants last post by  JMacd62 
#1 ·
In two, three or even four lane motorways/highways, do you have a preferred lane to ride in? I know in Europe you are supposed to stay on the outside lane and use the others for overtaking as traffic allows, always returning to the outside. Seems that any lane is game on US highways, so overtaking occurs on both side if you are in the middle lane of a three lane highway. Somewhat disconcerting if you are used to overtaking vehicles passing on one side only. Universally I believe the law "encourages" staying on the outside lane (furthest lane from traffic coming in the other direction). Makes sense to me, but interrupted by merging traffic (that has priority in the US).

Share what's your rationale for lane selection?
 
#2 ·
I'll choose the middle on a 3 lane or the second lane closest to the inside on a 4 lane. It keeps me away from merging traffic and leaves me an escape route on either side. I also intend to ride just a bit faster than the flow of traffic because if I'm passing I have more control than if I'm getting constantly passed by others. On the US highways it is courtesy to stay in the outside lane except when passing and in some states its the law. However, we have more than our fair share of idiots who think they are only ones living in the world.
 
#3 ·
Don't know if it's a state thing, but here in NJ, passing on the right is frowned upon if not technically illegal. You mention riding in the middle lane of a 3 lane hwy and passing on either side. The lanes on the left are for passing. I ride in all lanes and determine which by conditions at the time. Sometimes the right hand lane is all roughed up or greasy from trucks. Sometimes all the road hogs stay in the left lane so I can make better time in the right hand lane. There is no better lane all the time.
 
#4 ·
American drivers are the worst offenders of hogging the fast lane. Prius drivers should all be regaled to busses. As many times ive driven in europe ive never(and thats at least 2 trips a year) witnessed fast lane idiots. If you happen to be in the passing lane and someone comes up behind you going faster, they flash their lights and you move over, Now. i can also tell you we, Americans, forgot what the stalk on the left side of the steering wheel is for. ough, dont get me started.
 
#6 ·
I've asked my colleagues here in the US what the rules are and there appears to be a lot ignorance on lane rules. Not something talked about much in drivers ed or motorcycle refresher classes. Don't think it's malice.

I've been asked in all seriousness that as long as you are doing the speed limit why does it matter?

Also supposed to be illegal to overtake on the inside in the US, not just in Europe, but regrettably it's not enforced.
 
#8 ·
I agree with the above comments on lane usage. In the U.S., way too many people drive in the left hand below the average traffic flow speed on divided highways were there is no possibility of making a left hand turn. They belong in the right hand lane, thereby allowing faster traffic to pass them in the left lane.

I always try to keep right unless passing or making a left hand turn. Remember, people who constantly drive in the left hand lane are that much closer to a head on collision from an oncoming car. Just this week on the same road, I saw two drivers weaving left and right in the left hand lane while using phones, and driving slower than the flow of traffic. Sometimes road rage is justified !

I have seen it stated that some of these drivers apparently feel that it is their duty to drive at the exact speed limit in the left hand lane in an attempt to regulate the speed of faster drivers.
Wrong !! It's not up to them to enforce speed limits.

Here in New York state, many years ago, I had driver education in high school. Unfortunately, that has been eliminated in many areas. It was a valuable experience. I think many drivers are suffering the lack of that experience today.
 
#9 ·
I know someone who was riding in the left hand lane on a local 2 lane highway who was pulled over by the local enforcers and given a ticket for staying in the left hand lane for more than 4 miles. He was following her. Never knew anyone who was pulled over for that before. Big trucks and semis do the same thing but never seem to get pulled over when they are not supposed to stay in the left lane other than to pass. It's usually speeding chaos.
 
#10 ·
Felony: I know someone who was riding in the left hand lane on a local 2 lane highway who was pulled over by the local enforcers and given a ticket for staying in the left hand lane for more than 4 miles. He was following her. Never knew anyone who was pulled over for that before.

Was it in this century? Give the cop a medal for doing his job!
 
#11 ·
Divided highways

3 lanes - I'll ride in the middle lane and slightly faster than the right hand lane. Only use the left lane to pass cars in n front of me in the same lane. But I keep the right lane as an emergency escape.

4 lanes - typically the second from the inside. Same principle above and keeps me away from merging traffic

Non-divided highways

I'll stay in the outside lane unless I need to pass. Oncoming traffic doesnt always see motorcycles. Too many distracted drivers swerve into the oncoming lane unintentionally.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk
 
#13 ·
Typically I agree with statements about "lane use ignorance." For all my years of driving it would seem that there are no rules in the books. I've seen passing left or right lane, exact speed limits in the left lane, heavy speeding in merging lanes, etc.

When I'm riding on a 2 lane highway I hang out in the right lane until a merge approaches. On roads with more lanes I'm almost always towards the right side. I don't know why I do it, but that positioning makes me much more comfortable.
 
#14 ·
Here in the UK open our three lane Motorways we should stay in left lane if possible we can over take using middle or third lane on right, b ut then we should drop back into nearside lane, we can be fined for staying in middle or right hand lanes,
but its really not possible to stay in left lane because all our trucks use the left lane,
we drive on the left in uk
:smile2::smile2:
 
#16 ·
I basically use the lane the gives me as much space around me as possible to avoid everyone else trying to kill me.

Here in Aus its keep left left unless overtaking (left being the "slow lane"), same as the UK.
 
#17 ·
For highway driving, I tend to have different behaviors. If there is not a lot of traffic I like to cruise at the speed limit in the outermost lane, moving over for on-ramp merges or to pass. If traffic is crazier, i.e. through a city, I just stay in the fast lane and pass everyone. It just feels easier/safer in that case.
 
#18 ·
Depends on where I am riding. In Germany, it is pretty easy. You stay right unless overtaking. Cars will only pass on your left, You stay out of blind spots of cars on your right.

Now in the US in heavy traffic, it gets complicated. I usually select the middle lane. The left lane will mostly go faster, and I make sure I stay out of blind spots of traffic to my right, until there is enough room to pull past them. I don't like the right lane because too many crazy lane changes happen there. Car drivers in the US are not very skilled and can be very unpredictable around highway exits. If all lanes are equally fast, I might take the left lane or try to find a spot where all cars can see me.
 
#20 ·
Makes sense to me, but interrupted by merging traffic (that has priority in the US).

That's a common misconception by the US motoring population. Merging traffic has NO priority and is supposed to stop if it's not possible to merge into the traffic stream. That's not what usually happens though and drivers drive as if they do have priority and if you don't slow down to open up a spot for them you get the usual middle finger and angry and dangerous passing and cutting in.

As a rule, I try very hard not to drive on any multi-lane highways but if I do I generally ride in the right (slow) lane just because I really hate being passed on both sides at the same time.
 
#21 ·
I do my best to only pass in the "passing" lane. If I do spend any time in the passing lane its because I'm passing everybody. Only time you see traffic behind me, its because there is a slow poke holding up everybody and can't get around him.

Merging traffic has to get up to speed and merge with traffic. The guy who merged into my van without looking proved that, and the trooper that wrote him the ticket and the judge that agreed with the trooper.
 
#22 ·
Doberperson post 20 and Kubbie post 21 are correct,... traffic entering a highway via an on ramp do not have right of way over vehicles already on the highway. Traffic entering are supposed to time there speed and position to smoothly blend in with the existing flow of traffic. I.E. , not "barge in" too slow or too fast thereby interrupting the flow of traffic. Cars entering a highway are just one more thing to be aware when riding since all to many drivers feel that you must accommodate them as they enter a highway.
Unfortunately, in the U.S.A., our state governments, and court systems, (at least in N.Y., anyway) have largely failed in delivering truly meaningful penalties, and fines in response to traffic violations, (and criminal activity at all levels). For example, in all the years we have been operating automobiles, we have never been able to stop D.U.I. It continues to take its toll on the innocent while courts are too often too easy on offenders.
 
#23 · (Edited)
Here in California we aren't obliged to stay in the right lane and motorcyclists can use the HOV (rideshare) lanes which are typically the left-most lanes (left of the fast lane). The HOV lane (or fast lane if there is no HOV lane) is where I typically ride as long as there's a barrier or median between me and the oncoming traffic.

Statistically, that's the safest place to ride for 2 reasons: 1> You don't have to worry about merging traffic and cars crossing your lane as they try to exit the hwy. 2> Cars can only move into your lane from one direction (the right).

Pete
 
#24 ·
I wish Ontario would allow bikes in the HOV lanes. Makes a lot of sense.

I used to always ride the far left lane as I felt safer doing the passing, than being passed. My first time on serious multi lane highways after 30 years this summer, I decided to try the right (outside) lanes and not ride so fast. It didn't take long and a guy in a Honda Civic passed me using the the shoulder of the road. I am back in the left lane doing the passing again. Far left means you have to move over for fast traffic, but otherwise it is mostly to stay out of other drivers blind spots.
 
#25 ·
It's tough staying out of blind spots when so many drivers apparently don't see motorcycles — even when they're looking right at them. They're looking for cars and the fact that there's a motorcycle there doesn't even register.

Pete
 
#28 ·
It's tough staying out of blind spots when so many drivers apparently don't see motorcycles — even when they're looking right at them. They're looking for cars and the fact that there's a motorcycle there doesn't even register.
Last Sunday I helped a friend get some materials for a shed he's building. He has the truck so he drove. The studs at the local lumber yard looked terrible so we went to one further away which involved a 4-mile drive on a freeway. On the way back we had a guy on a Ducati riding beside us and my friend turned on his signal and started moving into his lane. I warned him that there was a bike there and his reply was "He'll get out of the way."

I wouldn't exactly say we're enemies now, but our relationship is strained over what I yelled at him. What makes this especially puzzling is he knows I ride, but he showed total disregard for that rider anyway. I had no idea he was that kind of guy.

I guess the point I'm trying to make is things like this apparently aren't always innocent mistakes.

Pete
 
#26 ·
One reminder for those of you in Europe, in the USA traffic laws are state-by-state. Now, the state I live in (Texas) is larger than most European countries so it's much like a national law.

Lane choice is complicated here by many factors. For example, we have "left turn" lanes, which typically is a two-way lane between the opposing direction lanes that is intended for left-turning drivers, so they are supposed to get out of the lane of traffic before they slow/stop to make a turn. Unfortunately many drivers seem to think this is also a target lane when they are turning left from a side street and no police enforce this blatant violation, so that means even in the left of a two-lane-per-side road you have to expect traffic merging from the left. And on certain divided highways if there are only two lanes in either direction then it is posted "left lane for passing only", which is never followed nor enforced. The major complication there are trucks that are speed governed and they think that in a 75mph zone if the truck in the right lane is going 64 but my truck can go 64.5 then that means I can get in the left lane and "pass", which of course takes 10 minutes, and blocks all traffic. When the lanes open up to 3 or more per side then this left lane rule changes to "no trucks left lane".

The reality is that on two-lane-per-side roads, near urban or suburban areas there is just not enough capacity for "left lane passing only" to make any sense. You need both lanes to handle the quantity of traffic without a passing restriction. And where the road is empty enough where the capacity is not needed, people driving slower in the left lane is not a meaningful impediment, you just pass them, on the right. Passing on both sides is completely legal and ordinary. You should get used to that if you are driving in TX.

I personally do not think it's my responsibility to make way for drivers who want to exceed the speed limit by double digits. If I am driving (in my Jeep, BTW... not on the bike) at 9mph over the speed limit with my cruise control on because I'm going 100 miles before I stop and happen to be in the left lane, then it's up to you to figure out how to pass me if you want to go 20mph over the speed limit. But if I'm going to stay at or below the speed limit then I'll keep right.

On my motorcycles I typically don't speed and I just try to find the safest spot to ride. On a windy road or one with no margin between opposing lanes I will stay right even if it means frequently dealing with cars turning on and off the road. On divided roads, usually I keep left because it's less interaction with cars. Whatever it takes for me to stay out of the way of cars and reduce my risk. Truth is I avoid routes that include divided highways or roads with >60mph speed limits because it's just not much fun riding an unfaired motorcycle in urban/suburban traffic with trucks and idiots driving at 70mph or more. I do this to reduce stress, not add to it. It's a lot more fun to take the alternate route down a two-lane country road with curves and hills and no other traffic even if it takes twice as long to get there. If I'm under a time constraint, I drive my Jeep. Everyone gets out of my way then, and the median itself is a viable lane of traffic.
 
#27 ·
Good reply Mr72,
I have been riding now for 58 years (started when I was 9). On all roads, I generally like to ride where I have room to maneuver when necessary. On a two lane road (one lane in each direction), I prefer to be next to the center line. This does put me closer to on-coming traffic, but I believe they can see me better than if I were riding on the right half of the lane. The left have (this is in America and Canada) also keeps me further away from animals coming onto the road. You can also ride in the center part of the lane, but that is where all the oil drips and can be a little slippery.

When on an interstate/freeway, while in the country, I stay in the left half of the right lane except to pass. However, when I get to where the traffic is so bad there are 3 or more lanes in each direction, I move to the far left lane. This keeps me away from the 18 wheelers and all the merging traffic. I just don't like to play dodge ball with the four-wheelers.

One other thing; when, due to traffic congestion, I have to follow cars/trucks fairly close, I align with their wheels (either left or right depending on other variables). My thinking is if they see something in the road, they will position their vehicle to avoid running over it with their tires; this often means they will drive over debris with their tires on both side of it. Thus, if you are not aligning with their tires, there is an increased probability of hitting what they just avoided by centering over it.

And, lastly, I try my best to stay off of busy roads.
 
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