Freeways ethics and rules

jplante4 wrote:
Here in Mass. we call the right lane the through lane - because that's the lane you go through to get on and off the freeway. Most people travel in the center or left lane regardless of how fast they're going or if they're passing anyone. Come up behind someone in the left lane and flash your lights, be prepared for a brake check.

And do not pass anyone on the right at an exit. It's common for them to exit from the center or even left lane.

I also follow the center lane in congested areas rule.

What a shame so many drivers just don’t know the law, let alone the terminology.

Massachusetts law requires drivers to always keep right unless turning or passing. M.G.L. c. 89, Section 2 mandates that drivers passing other vehicles traveling the same direction must pass on the left. Section 4B of the same law requires motor vehicle operators to always operate in the right lane, unless overtaking another vehicle, then the operator may move into the left lane to pass, then move back into the right lane after the overtaking is completed.

The correct definition BTW, for a “through lane” is the rightmost continuous traffic lane, it goes ‘through’. In the case of an exit a deceleration lane is a lane adjacent to the primary road or street used to improve traffic safety by allowing drivers to pull out of the through lane and decelerate safely before turning off a surface street or exiting a freeway. Exiting from the middle lane is both dangerous and usually illegal.

Studies have shown that driving slow in the middle lane is the number cause of ‘rolling accidents’, ones where nobody was stopping or even braking. It causes people to pass on the right which is very dangerous, and so why it’s universally illegal.