Playing for Change was something I first saw on PBS. The documentary is about this guy who traveled the world to see how music unites us. No matter where you live you listen to music. By focusing on what brings us together we can have hope that things aren't as bad as they can be if we go through life alone. Check out the website:

www.playingforchange.com

Life in the Left Lane, Part 11

Theory #11, Limited Space

I admit this really isn't a theory. Perhaps a better description would be a qualifier. The underlying assumption to all of these posts is that driving in the left lane can be irritating to other drivers if you are doing so outside of the unspoken rules. But those same rules say that there are times when driving in the left lane isn't all that bad.

Any road will at times get so loaded with traffic that no matter what lane you are driving in you are going no where. There's just so much space. In crowded conditions no one really cares who is driving in the left lane because they are just frustrated they aren't moving. I guess you could say that there is no distinct target of frustration in a traffic jam except for the traffic as a whole.

So traffic may cause people to drive in the left lane, it happens.

Life in the Left Lane, Part 10

Theory #10, Keeping up with the Jones'

Well, so far all of the theories have had practical explanations. Quite simply, this one doesn't. The theory is that people just want to be cool, like everyone else. Like the Ego theory, somehow driving in the left lane conveys a level of status that people want to have. Driving a BMW, Hummer, or Mercedes is not enough if you aren't driving in the socially hip lane.

Maybe they just want to be part of the herd. Here's an article that could apply to this theory: Understanding the Herd Mentality

I really don't have much to comment on this theory, because if this is why people are driving in the left lane they are just stupid. There's a whole road to drive on to look cool. In fact, I've heard that the really cool people actually drive on the right side. Yeah, seriously. Tell your friends.

White frosted donuts

I know I am messing up my on-going rant about driving in the left lane with this post, but I think it's worthy of the interruption.

Tonight my roommate and I went to the grocery store. At Shoppers they have the most wonderful donuts. Think Dunkin Donuts only twice the size. We had to get some. They didn't have the Boston Creme filled like we both like, so he settled for a blueberry filled. I grabbed about 5 more white frosted donuts (two white frosted with Christmas colored sprinkles, a white frosted buttermilk, a marble frosted, and a plain white frosted). I don't usually prefer chocolate frosted.

I made a comment about how all of the donuts were white frosted. He responded, "Hmm. What are the odds of that?" I thought about that for a moment. After realizing I had selected all of the donuts I said, "Actually, pretty good. I did choose them." He then realized why it was funny too and we both laughed.

I think he meant that having only white frosted donuts to choose from would be odd. When you say it that way it's not so funny.

Life in the Left Lane, Part 9

Theory #9, Quest for Stability

While only a few states have left lane exits, all states have right lane entrances. At least in the United States most traffic will get onto a roadway from the right side. This means that if the left lane is meant for speed and passing, the right lane is meant for slowing and merging.

Understandably, people who intend to travel a distance on the freeway may want to drive on the left to avoid the congestion and starts-and-stops of the right side. In theory, the further left you go the less interruption you would have. Well, in theory. The problem is when people choose to only drive on the left or right. For freeways, which most likely have more than two lanes, the lanes in the middle are options too. However, you have to cross through those lanes to get to either side.

Is the left lane more stable? Possibly. Should you camp out there to avoid other traffic? No. When the lanes on the right are less crowded than the lanes on the left, it's time to spread the wealth of the road real estate.

Life in the Left Lane, Part 8

Theory #8 - Is Big Brother watching?

I'm back from the break. Time to finish out these theories. You'd think I have nothing better in life to do than to ponder why people love to block traffic in the left lane. My commute is about a half hour each way, so I spend an hour a day driving in traffic. Plenty of time to evaluate driving habits... but I digress.

This theory starts with a story. A friend and I went to his hometown of Erie, PA. I'd never been, so I was up for a road trip. In Maryland because so many people drive in the left lane you often have a better chance of passing on the right. I'm used to this by now. However, a weird thing happened once we crossed the state line... everyone moved to the right. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes I wouldn't have believed it. To say the event was shocking is slightly exaggerated, but gets in the realm of what I was feeling.

You might chalk it up to a one time thing. I commented about it and my friend responded that driving in the left lane when you're not passing anyone is illegal in PA. Interesting thought. We spent a few days in Erie, then headed back. When we got back to the state line another interesting thing happened. Once in Maryland everyone moved to the left. WHAT!!! Again, if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes I would have never believed it.

Odd behavior, eh? Why would a state line make any difference, much less one so dramatic? Obviously laws and regulations can make a big difference. More importantly though, enforcement of laws make all the difference. People jam on the brakes when they see a cop because speeding tickets can be expensive. Imagine how people would drive if they got tickets for hanging out in the left lane. I'm not saying there should be a law that prevents everyone from driving in the left lane, but how about driving in the left lane with a line of traffic behind you? When I grew up in Arizona I was taught that if you had more than 5 people driving behind you cops could give you a ticket. I've never seen that law, or seen a cop pull anyone over for that. I'd love to.

Props to Oklahoma for actually cracking down on this.