Why is it that, at least in the NW, you guys

Could you be more specific where you are seeing this?

The only time I saw excess Priuses in the leftmost general purpose lane was on I-90 across cental WA during the sky-high gas prices of 2008. And they weren't going slow, they were blowing the doors of those of us who had slowed down our gas hogs to save money.

 

Um, were there at least two people, and they were in the HOV lane?

What city, please?

I generally buzz along in one of the middle lanes. Faster than the right lane, slower than the left.

 

Obvious troll...

There are many people who drive a Prius like any other car. You just have bad stereotypes engrained in you.

 

Troll or not, it's not specific to Priuses. This is a (at least Western) WA state pet peeve of mine.

It seems a great # of WA drivers (regardless of vehicle driven) do not have proper lane discipline and drive at or below the speed limit in the fast lane when it's not bright out w/no rain.

In CA (where I'm from), people at leave have the courtesy to move over when cars are piling up behind them.

 

Neither the Prius nor the western drivers have a monolopy on this left lane slow driving. I see this all of the time on the NC interstates. The Prius drivers that I do see in the left lane are always passing as they should.

I was traveling with a friend that spent the entire drive in the left lane. When asked why, his response was that the left lane was smoother driving since the 18 wheelers mainly drive in the right lane

 

In Ohio it's trucks that hog the left lane. The major highways in Ohio only have two lanes each way, with 65 mph speed limits. Generally some heavy semi going 66 wants to pass the rest of the trucks going 65, so they creep by in the left lane, blocking everyone else. I've heard this referred to as "whale races".

Tom

 

Wrong forum, you wanted this one: Seattle Drivers Suck! - The Front Page

 

Fail troll is fail.

 

when my dad was in seattle in '64 visiting an old wwII buddy, i recall him complaining about the same thing!:rockon:

 

Ofcourse. We are libertarians, you have a problem with that ?

Even though we are libertarian, we don't want people breaking law by speeding. The best way to make sure is to drive in the left lane below max speed limit (note that the limit is max, not min).

ps : OP is a troll. Single post complaining about Prius drivers ...

 

It was certainly true and a truism in the 70's when I lived there.

 

Did you just turn 16 and get your drivers license? I've seen this behavior for the last 40 years and it's extremely prevalent in all states and other foreign countries except maybe Germany. FYI, it's not just small foreign cars it all types including 18 wheelers. So don't come on here with your first post and an attitude, blaming this behavior on Prius drivers. :glare:

 

He doesn't want "clarification", he wants us to throw food under his bridge.

 

it is our mission, nay, our mandate, to slow america to a crawl. in this way, we will build up her strength and independence from foreign oil and at the same time, greatly improve our own environment and quality of life.

 

What was the # of prius you "noticed" ? What was the % of them compared to other vehicles ?

Desclaimer : I prefer slow cralers on the left than people who fund terrorists by driving gas guzzlers.

 

At first glance, it would appear that there is a valid argument here.

It is true that most state laws designate the left lane for passing,
and also require passers to move qucikly out of the lane.
"love the left lane? That is the passing only lane. My lane." In most
states it is illegal to drive exclusively in the left lane. Anyone's lane?
Not even close. It is interesting to note that these particular laws don't
legitimize speeds in excess of the PSL in the passing lane. Speeding in
the passing lane is still a ticketable offense, up to the discretion of an
observing officer.

But, the reality is that at rush hour or other times of heavy traffic,
more cars can move past a given spot if the passing lane is used for
travel, at or about the PSL. On average, many people benefit, a few
are inconvenienced. (That is the nature of the unspoken social contract
implicit in living in an modern metropolitan area.) And yes, this too is a
ticketable offense, again up to the discretion of an officer on scene.

A mature, socially responsible driver can easily anticipate any resulting
daily recurring delays and leave home a few minutes earlier.

Every forum concerned with fuel efficiency recommends slowing down
as a simple way to get an immediate, sustainable increase in FE/MPGs.
Seeing three Prii in a row cruising at the PSL and getting close to or
more than 50 MPG should make folks ecstatic.

Taken together, even with only one occupant in each, those three Prii
are getting better combined FE/MPGs than most of the SUVs, luxury
pickups, vans, and crossovers that are all too common. In a free
market as use/consumption goes down, so does the price. Over the
long term, folks driving high FE vehicles, hybrids or no, are doing low
FE/MPG drivers a favor by helping keep the cost at the pump down.

So, the grounds for a holier-than-thou moral outrage is what? :noidea:

Insisting that state passing lane laws that support individual preferences,
legal or not, take precedence over situational common sense seems to
be a special comfort cherished by the small if not simple minded.


* Whether the gasoline market is truly free is for another time/thread -
* Whether or not the artificially low price we pay for gas in the US is in
the long term a good or bad thing is also for another time/thread.

 

This reality clearly applies to the much of I-5, including the stretch OP mentions. All lanes, including the so-called 'passing lane', are regularly filled to capacity. Or overfilled to a crawl.

I was a long time reverse commuter in the south portion of the mentioned section, and a frequent left lane user during the 55 speed limit era. When that was repealed, I speed up less than average and thus rarely used the left lane anymore. But when the HOV lane was added, I was among the over-critical mass of carpoolers who held that new lane to barely over PSL (but still faster than the transit buses), forcing the speeders who wanted to make it a super-fast lane to go back to the regular fast lane. The Prius did not yet exist.

My commute no longer goes there, and I don't believe my Prius has ever been in the 'passing lane' of that section.