Life in the Left Lane, Part 7

Theory #7 - Caught in the current

So up until now all of the theories have assumed that people drive slow in the left lane on purpose to spite the other drivers around them. This one throws a spin on that a bit. At some point people will move out of the left lane. Oh yes, they will... even if it's the exit after yours. However, there are times where people want to move out of the left lane but can't.

There is a phenomenon that happens when people end up in the left lane but don't intend to stay there, or realize too late that they need to move. When drivers are slow enough the quicker drivers take any chance they get to move around them. If enough drivers start passing they effectively block the exit route of the offending left-lane driver. No matter how hard the driver tries to move over they can't because the quicker moving traffic keeps moving around them. Compounding the problem is that drivers caught in this situation are typically not very assertive. That means they can't move their way into the traffic until someone decides to give them a chance again. Should they wait too long they will remain trapped on the left edges of the highway.

Maybe I've been on the East coast too long, but if you are driving on a freeway you have to be assertive. There's just too much traffic to be wishy-washy about what you are going to do. I'm not saying to drive aggressively...there's a difference. If you're a person who has a hard time making decisions (like which exit you are supposed to take...) maybe you should think twice before venturing into the left side of the road.

Life in the Left Lane, Part 6

Theory #6 - LaLa Land / Distracted

As with the Ego theory, I would bet a lot of people cite this one as the reason for peoples' penchant for the left side of the road. This theory is fairly simple, these drivers don't have a clue. They are either talking on the cell phone, looking for the french fry that fell on the floor, or just jamming to some good tunes. They don't bother to look in the rear view mirror to see the line of traffic stretching on for miles. Blink your lights, honk your horn, wave with one finger all you want... they ain't gonna see you.

While the Ego theory considered people who only care about themselves, this theory differs in that these drivers aren't necessarily concerned only with themselves. They'd move over if they knew there was a line of cars behind them, but they just haven't noticed. In my opinion, these are the scariest group of drivers. My hunch is that they are more likely to be involved in accidents because they simply aren't paying attention to anything on the road, much less their time in the left lane.

In Germany drivers would never think about eating in a car, or talking on a cell phone. For Germans driving is not only a past time, but a responsibility. Maybe we could learn from the Germans. If you are behind the wheel pay attention... your driving affects everyone on the road.

Life in the Left Lane, Part 5

Theory #5 - Social Justice

So this theory goes that some people take it upon themselves to keep the order in society. Many people go the legitimate route and actually become police officers or health inspectors. Others just enforce the rules unofficially in their every day lives.

On the roads this means that they will drive the speed limit regardless of the consequences to traffic conditions. I actually found a blog entry about this from a person in Canada. If they are driving in the left lane then anyone driving faster will just have to find a way around them if they are going to break the law. For them the entire road must abide by the speed limit... the left lane being no exception.

Strictly speaking, this is the law. People choosing the left lane don't have a free pass to drive over the speed limit under any conditions. However, the left lane has a reputation for a reason, that I argue has practical purposes. Take speeding out of the picture and the real reason people get annoyed is that there is no courtesy for people who want to get by. Not everyone should be forced to drive the speed limit on the road (some may choose to drive slower...) and for those that choose not to they should not block the driving style of others who may be more comfortable driving at higher speeds.

Bottom line here... leave the enforcement of the law to those who are paid to enforce it.

Life in the Left Lane, Part 4

Theory #4 - Ego / Power Trip

Now this theory is meaty. I'm having a hard time explaining this though, because it's just slightly different than a few of the upcoming ones. This gist of the ego / power trip theory is that drivers in the left lane feel entitled to be there. For them, the world exists of only one person and the rest of the drivers are simply a swarm of annoyance.

You can recognize these drivers when you pull to the right to pass them. When you get about even with them they suddenly find the accelerator and speed up to prevent you from passing them. There could be a line of cars 5 miles long behind them, but as long as they are leading the pack their egos are happy.

I think the bottom line here is that the people who fall into this group care about only one thing, themselves. (I bet if you ask most people who are annoyed by left-lane drivers they will cite this as the reason for the behavior.)

Alas, people are complicated creatures. While this may explain some of the behavior there are always other reasons.

Next up, Theory #5 - Social Justice.

Life in the Left Lane, Part 3

Theory #3 - Cruise Control

Alright, we've talked about political activism, and highway exit and toll logistics. This next one makes sense when you think about it. We've all done it. Cruise control helps you save gas, right? Well it's also really only useful on long stretches of road with minimal traffic. You know the drill. You're cruising along keeping up a good pace, when you get close to a major city. Suddenly the traffic gets thicker, and you have to click the cruise control off to keep from driving into the car in front of you. Sure you can move to the left to pass, but at some point you'll run out of lanes.

Here's the catch. Some people use cruise control not to help save gas for long distances, but just because they can. So to pass the guy in front, they maintain the same speed and hope to pass in the left lane without taking their car off cruise control...and they don't pass very quickly (unless the guy is going absurdly slow.) The result is that they hang out in the left lane much longer than if they were actually increasing their speed to pass like everyone else.

So you're a democrat, that can be forgiven. You have to exit or pay toll, understandable. You have your car on cruise control and you're too lazy to turn it off so you can pass quickly? Idiot.

Next up, Theory #4 - Ego / Power Trip

Life in the Left Lane, Part 2

Theory #2 - Left-lane exits and EZ Pass

Maryland is one of the few places where some of the exits for other roads are actually on the left side of the road. I'm not sure why some exits are like this. Most exits are on the right side. While the impact of left exits isn't always readily apparent, in the context of the current discussion it may be more obvious. For those who ignored all of the signs telling them the exit was on the left they make a dive across all lanes of traffic to get there (slowing down all lanes of traffic and not just the left one!) On the other hand, for those anticipating the exit they often hang out in the left lane until they get there. The end result is that the left lane quickly get congested.

But left-lane exits are not the only reason you may find people on the left side. EZ Pass, a system designed to make toll collection easier for drivers on the I-95 corridor, has lanes on the left sides of the toll plazas. While many EZ Pass drivers have signed up to make traveling through the toll plazas quicker, there are many who just don't want to dig in their pockets for loose change. As with the left-lane exiters, EZ Pass just adds another reason to be in the left lane.

Both of these factors help to explain the left-lane driving when you are either near a left exit or a toll plaza, but not when either of these are no where to be found. I would hazard a guess that those annoyed by the person driving in front of them without moving over would not be annoyed by these circumstances. After all, once arriving at the exit the person would no longer be in front of you, right?

While this theory has some tangible merit, there has to be more to it than that. Stay tuned for Theory #3, Cruise Control.

Life in the Left Lane, Part I

Prologue

Back when I started this blog I was intending to write an essay of sorts to explore my theories about why people so often drive in the left lane. I have now spent a good portion of my life driving on the roads, and many of those on Maryland roads. This almost ever day experience has given me time to reflect on why people do what they do.

I'm not going to lay it all out there at once, but I'm going to break it into parts, each one focusing on a different theory. So settle in and get ready to read some insightful brilliance about social behavior at its finest.

Definiton

To adequately explore this we need to understand exactly what it is that we're discussing. Left-lane-driving is when a person drives in the left lane with a line of cars behind them. They make no efforts to move to the right to allow quicker drivers to pass. Many left-lane-drivers will drive at or slightly under the speed limit, rarely driving any significant speed over the posted limit.

*Do you agree with this definition? Help me to refine it to make it better. Post your comments.


Theory #1

Let's start with my most ridiculous theory: Driving in the left lane is a reflection of one's political persuasion. At some point I considered whether Maryland's historical love affair with the left side of the political arena may possibly be seeping out into its citizens driving habits. "Choose the Left" became more than just a belief. Maryland drivers chose to display their political preference more publicly by choosing the left lane to drive in.

Obviously this theory doesn't hold much water. If one's politics affected driving preferences you'd expect to see the behavior more predominantly in States that were liberal. My experience tells me that left-lane-driving occurs in many States regardless of the prevailing political sentiment.

Theory #1 appears to be debunked. However, there is no empirical evidence to discount it completely. If anyone is interested in doing a study, check how your State voted in the most recent Presidential election and then observe how often you see left-lane drivers in your State. Post any results here.

Upcoming Theories:

Left-lane exits and EZ Pass
Cruise Control
Ego / Power Trip
Social Justice and Equality
La-La Land / Distracted
Caught in the Current
Is Big Brother watching?
Quest for stability
Keeping up with the Jones'
Limited space
Lanes mean distance

More?

Fort Wayne, Indiana

One of the great benefits of having roommates and friends who work for the airline industry is the occasional free ticket. Before Todd left he was gracious enough to give me a ticket to fly anywhere Southwest flies. The "luv" airline certainly showed me some love this weekend for a quick trip to Indiana.

I had promised my friend Justin that I would come visit in October. I hadn't planned on October being as hectic as it was. I was determined not to make a promise I wasn't going to keep, and I figured this weekend was time to make good. I left the nice beautiful weather of Baltimore for the rather blustery and frigid weather of Indiana. (I'm told the weather was nice there until I arrived. What's that supposed to mean??)

Justin made the two hour trip to Indianapolis to pick me up. We met up my former roommate, Jon (#18) who had been in Indiana campaigning. We had a very nice dinner at McCormick and Schmick's.

Notice the Colts emblem in the background. Did you know the Colts were originally a Baltimore team? After assuring the people of Maryland he had no intention of moving the team, the owner Robert Irsay moved the team in the middle of the night. Scandalous! Needless to say, the people of Baltimore aren't so into the Indianapolis Colts.

There are a few things that I look forward to every time I am Indiana. At the top of the list is a visit to Steak 'n Shake. They have some of the best hamburgers and shoe-string french fries in the country. They also have a side-by-side milkshake. This trip featured a new milkshake flavor... egg nog!


The highlight of the dining experience wasn't the food. Check out the menu and see if you can spot the funny.

After the food we went back to the house to pick up Kent. The three of us went to the Fort Wayne Botanical Conservatory. None of us had ever been there, and being inside a greenhouse on a cold day seemed like a reasonable thing to do. Plus they had an "Under the Sea" exhibit with mermaids and fish! Oh baby!

This tree stood guard over the entrance to the gardens. Kent, a practicing dentist, made sure to point out that this poor guys teeth could use a few whitening sessions. The tree... not me!

How do you make a garden an undersea experience? How about some seahorse topiaries? Throw in some inflatable fish and a bubble machine and you're just about there. They had a scavenger hunt of sorts that the kids could do to find all of the decorations they had laid out in the garden. If the plants hadn't been there I would have thought I was swimming in a dry ocean!


There were two other sections of the garden, the tropical rainforest and the Sonoran desert. Hmm, Hawaii and Arizona. Why did everything seem so familiar? I had some major deja vu. Here we are in the desert section.

After the gardens we headed home, but not without taking a quick tour of Fort Wayne. I'm told this is not the original fort built in the 1700's. If you can't tell this picture was taken from inside the car as we drove past going about 120mph in the Dodge Charger.


Later that night we went out to eat with Chris and Ben at some Italian place. We then topped off the night with a game of Phase 10. Just look at how much fun Justin is having! He sure likes his cheese.


For a quick weekend trip I had lots of fun. Justin has made some wonderful friends, and I was fortunate to grow my circle of friends as well. I just wish it wasn't so cold while I was there.

Amazing hi-def wallpapers

Check out this website for amazing hi-def wallpapers. If you have a MacBook Pro they look awesome on your desktop!

http://interfacelift.com/wallpaper_beta/downloads/date/any/

Oh, and here's a link to Dav's Blog where he talks about "Dav night" from last week:

http://travelindav.blogspot.com/2008/11/mexican-food-and-pool-hall.html