Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83 based; site hou2e.UUCP
Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!bellcore!sabre!zeta!epsilon!gamma!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxt!houxm!hou2e!pauldan
From: pauldan@hou2e.UUCP (P.SAUNDERS)
Newsgroups: net.auto
Subject: Re: Passing in the left lane (and apologies)
Message-ID: <564@hou2e.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 3-May-85 11:05:43 EDT
Article-I.D.: hou2e.564
Posted: Fri May  3 11:05:43 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 7-May-85 03:36:52 EDT
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Holmdel NJ
Lines: 41

<>
>Here is the situation I have questions about.  I'm in the center lane,
>which is packed.  We're all moving about 50 mph.  I pull out to pass at
>55 mph, and someone roars up behind me.  If there is no room to move over,
>for maybe a minute or two, what do I do?  Do I speed up, or slow down to
>take my original spot back, if possible?  This is the situation in which
>I take the position that I can stay in the fast lane as long as it takes
>ME to pass.  Still wrong?  Then what do I do?

Good question, sort of.  My feeling is that one should NEVER let themselves
be pushed into driving any faster than they are comfortable with.  However,
in your situation, let's consider the guy closing in behind you in the left
lane:

   1)  He looks like he is in an emergency situation.  In this case, you
       should probably make every attempt to move over.

   2)  He is an inch away from your bumper, with high beams on and horn
       blaring (probably hard to tell apart from case 1, except that this
       guy's just an impatient moron).  Since he's reckless beyond all hope,
       there's no sense in getting him more aggravated; in the interest of
       safety (yours), make every attempt to move over.

   3)  He's a good guy.  You saw him doing about 70 mph behind you, but he
       slowed to your speed to maintain a safe following distance, and
       maybe gave a *short* flash of his lights if he thought it was possible
       for you to move over.  In this case, since he was nice enough to
       display common driving courtesy, you should return the favor by 
       making every attempt to move over.

Pretty useless analysis, you say?  I think that the problem is that the
situation that you describe would never crop up in real life.  If the
center lane is so packed that it is impossible to get back into from the
left lane, then the left lane will also be very crowded; furthermore, under
these conditions there typically won't be a great difference in speed between
the two lanes.

And if I'm wrong?  Flame me, of course!

Dan Masi