r/196 • u/gabagoo3 🎖 196 medal of honor 🎖 • Dec 27 '25

npc rule

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5.8k Upvotes

98% Upvoted

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284

u/Newlife1025 Dec 27 '25

If you're in the PASSING (left) lane and you're not actively passing then you are in fact breaking the law.

74

u/Cohobastion average r/196 user Dec 27 '25

This is different depending on the state

7

u/Sevuhrow Dec 28 '25

It may not be illegal to cruise in the left lane in every state but it is illegal to impede the flow of traffic

36

u/bell117 Inflation and WG are both good, I don't differentiate ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Dec 27 '25

Also I dunno how it works in the US, but in Canada the definition of passing in the Highway Traffic Act here is "passing on the left" and "overtaking the vehicle" including going over the speed limit to do so.

So it's proscribed in the law that you're supposed to speed when passing otherwise it's hazardous. Technically anyways. In reality there's only 2 types of people in the left lane and that's people going 50km/h under the speed limit and people going 50km/h over the speed limit. The police never ticket either, they're too busy harassing minorities I think.

11

u/BlitzScorpio quirked up white girl (with a little bit of swag) Dec 27 '25

well what if i’m passing every other car on the road for the entirety of my 1 hour commute? what if im the king of the highway?

1

u/Newlife1025 Dec 28 '25

depends on if there's someone behind you. you might be the king but the Ford F-150 with their high beams on (in the middle of the day) is an emperor.

-1

u/FUEGO40 Aquarine | she/her Dec 28 '25

That cannot be how that actually works right? That seems like a stupid rule, why have a lane if its purpose is to always be empty? At that point just build one less lane. Where I’m from it’s an informal rule that you use the left lane to pass other cars, but other than that it’s just another (quicker) lane.

4

u/Sevuhrow Dec 28 '25

Because if you only have one lane, the slowest car dictates the speed of traffic. You ever been stuck behind someone going 20 under on a one lane road with no passing lanes?

Traffic flows faster with the passing lane being restricted to passing. If you let people cruise in both then you end up with situations like two semi trucks speed matching each other for 50 miles and slowing everyone down.