Drivers Education And Move To The Right

In this article there is an area of etiquette that I would like to focus on, which is where to drive on multi-lane roads or simply “move to the right”. It is one of my pet peeves and from the feedback I receive when discussing this topic with virtually everyone, it may also be one of the leading causes for “road rage”. Based on my observation, most people: 1) never learned this in the drivers ed they received from their driving school, 2) they are not paying attention, or 3) simply do not care.

The interesting part is that it is actually quite simple to pick the proper lane. Its also easy to determine if you’re still in the correct lane. This should be taught and properly emphasized in drivers ed although it appears that many driving schools do not emphasize this rule. Also, most states have laws around driving in the proper lane, usually worded as “slow drivers keep to the right”, but I’ve never heard of anyone getting a traffic ticket for this offense.

The rule is very simple – “slower traffic move to the right”. It can’t get much simpler so how come this seems to be violated in virtually every city in the United States? Having been one who has driven in most areas of the country, there is a definite difference in how well various areas perform with this rule.  The best metro area for following the “move to the right” rule is Los Angeles. The drivers in L.A. really seem to intuitively understand this rule and the rest of the country is a poor second. Drivers in the Northwest states are among the worst and people seem to have no clue that they are not in the correct lane. In my, albeit limited European driving experience, drivers in Europe seem to be much better in general to anywhere in the U.S. with regards to this rule. Part of it is the greater level of drivers ed required, but also it seems that a higher level of etiquette is built into their psyche.

Now let’s go over the three reasons why people don’t seem to be able to follow the “move to the right” rule and some potential solutions:

Move to the right was never taught in drivers ed. All driving schools should be required to not only instruct to this rule, but also emphasize . All driving schools should be required to not only instruct to this rule, but also emphasize it multiple times throughout their driving lessons. Additionally, it would be great to discuss this rule when performing behind the wheel instruction where the students can actually get a chance to see why this is so important.

Drivers are not paying attention. My guess is that most people fall into this category. They forgot what they were taught in driving school and are thinking about dinner that night. Or they’re on the cell phone, which is yet another problem. Or maybe singing to their favorite song. I very seldom advocate this, but this is a situation where a citation from a police officer would help. Additionally, more signage stating “0 fine for failure to move right” or similar. I’m not aware of good statistics, but I’d be willing to bet that more than a few collisions occur because someone is passing on the right around a slower driver and then have that driver turn into them at an exit.

Bad etiquette. This one is a shame as everyone on the road is within a community and having poor etiquette is just asking for trouble. Driving 3,000 pounds of vehicle at 60 MPH or faster deserves a due amount of respect and having bad manners can cause serious issues, up to and including death.

Last, but not least, how can you tell you’re in the wrong lane. First off, staying to the right is always the easiest and almost always correct. Secondly, nobody should ever be passing you on the right. If they are, you are in the wrong lane and should move to the right. Lastly, if someone is quickly gaining on you from behind and/or flashing their lights, move to the right if there is space.

Bottom line is that following the “move to the right” rule is not only good manners, but can alleviate potential road rage and make the roads safer for all.

Hilarious video “portraying” Chopper Reed, a former Australian murderer who’s now quite famous.
Video Rating: 4 / 5

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