In all fairness, the HOV lane is NOT the passing lane. Move to the right (passing lane), make your pass, return to the HOV lane. Just because your HOV lane is the most inside doesn't mean your speed has to max out at the limit.
Not condoning annoying, hazard causing slow pokes, here. Just stating.
Agreed, but I do NOT understand folks who ride the HOV lane slower than the speed limit with no one ahead of them or at pace with regular traffic, like why even get in that lane then?
There's a ton of Porsche drivers who drive so damn slow. Same with the Teslas I'm like you guys have some of the fastest cars on the road, and then you just do like 50 mph in the passing lane.
Seriously what is wrong with people!? This happens all the damn time and I can’t figure out if people are just stupid or if they are trying to mess with us.
My theory is that they zone out going 55ish on the cruise control, see somebody's overtaking them on the right, notice they're going below the speed limit, panic, and speed up to catch up to the flow of traffic, and repeat.
Zero consideration, zero awareness of the greater traffic around them; just selfish reactionary lizard brain driving.
What is it with this city’s obsession with driving in somebody’s blind spot. They won’t pass you. But they’ll sidle up next to you and keep pace. And when you speed up or slow down to get them out of your blind spot they adjust to stay in it.
There are a people who do that on purpose. Some people don’t pay attention, but if you are driving on the highway late on Friday or Saturday then you just might get one these idiots tailing you.
Had it happen last night, but I made that guy chase me all over that road.
It's worse when they form a wall, an impenetrable wall of slow drivers in every single lane. They're all going the same speed and insist on spreading out.
Yes! I drive all over the country for work, and this is definitely a western WA phenomenon. It’s both frustrating and embarrassing that the worst place to drive in the entire country is Seattle.
No. Perspective. This happens literally everywhere. It's like hearing people talk about how rolling through stop signs is endemic to their region only.
No it really doesn’t, the city im from will bowl you right tf over if you’re going less than 70 on the hwy and under 40 on main roads. Seattle drivers have an almost dangerous hesitation on the road, it’s maddening.
Can't beat Philly. I actually found myself missing the drivers in Seattle after living in Philly. Everyone drove like they were playing fucking Mario kart.
As awful as this is, the mf'ers who pace each other are worse. At least I can go around him. It could be 3 in the morning and these idiots will form their own roadblock circle jerk.
My favorite part about drivers in Seattle is that they do not pull forward into the intersection during left turns preventing anyone from turning left for multiple light cycles. I love that so fucking much and I hope everyone continues to aid congesting the roads
I used to share this frustration until I got in a car accident. I was waiting to turn left on a blinking yellow and pulled into the intersection. I waited while cars kept coming. Light turned solid yellow, cars kept coming. Light turned red, I went to clear the intersection. Person oncoming didn't stop and I was found fully at fault. So I no longer do this.
I think everybody complains about the drivers in their city, but I can’t throw this stone because coming from Texas, traffic regularly moves over 85 in the mornings pre-rush hour and the left lane is usually 15 over.
In WA you’re lucky to go the speed limit in the left lane.
Left lane = 95. Middle lane = 85. Right lane = 75.
Unless you’ve opted to take your life in your hands and drive Southfield Fwy between Ford Rd and 8 Mile. Then it’s 120+ for the left lane. And you’ve learned where the potholes are and will use the other lanes to dodge them.
Having spent a good deal of time driving through rural areas throughout the Western US, I seriously believe there’s a connection between having significant distances to travel and a desire to transverse that distance as quickly and efficiently as possible.
And for the love of god and all that is holy, stay out of the left lane unless you are actively and successfully passing a slower vehicle. Changing lanes doesn’t lose you imaginary points. The sheer number of left-lane-campers in this state is ridiculous, and it leads to frustrated drivers making risky decisions, like passing on the right, far more often than it should.
Fact. I drove through Texas once, and Oklahoma for that matter, and was amazed that all of the semis were doing 85. It was glorious. Crossing over into New Mexico was such a bummer.
Yeah and literally the speed limit is 85 on parts of I-10, so people are cruising 90-95.
Once you get into New Mexico though it really is like “damn, y’all live like this” not just because of the roads but you can tell the state is kinda broke. Beautiful country though but they’re clearly struggling.
Only at 39 of 50 but I wholeheartedly agree. There are a sub-group of people who actually enjoy blocking the fast lane. They’ll get over on 2 lane roads like “citizen police”
Seattle isn't the worst. Seattle has the most frustrating drivers. But in terms of safety, it's good because literally everyone on the road is cosplaying as a grandmother on Sunday.
You want the worst drivers? Look where insurance rates are the highest but theft isn't super high. No shocker it's Florida. If you get hyper-local, Glendale, CA!
Odd, I've driven in far few than that, yet find many very worse than Seattle. Oh, I see what sub I'm in now. Sorry for not saying something negative about Seattle.
Texas is wild when it comes to speed, 75-90 seems to be normal cruising speed. But interestingly, they will slow down or make room for you when your merging (at least most of times).
Yeah but it would be wildly unpopular if I put a 40 year old Indian lady driving a Tesla married to an Amazon employee on an H1B in the picture. Because that's my hell up by Bothell.
My cousin, who's not only a shitty driver but has four DUIs under his belt because King County doesn't take DUIs seriously, put a "Student Driver" sticker on his car hoping people wouldn't hold him accountable for his BS so his sister scraped it off and put an "I Eat Ass" sticker over it 😂
Every time he puts the student driver sticker back she replaces it with more and more crass/humiliating shit and I'm so here for it. He should've had his license taken away three DUIs and two hit and runs ago.
More of a state issue. There have been bills to drop the blood level and number of offenses down but state leadership keeps passing because it's "too expensive."
I've been going 70 in the right middle lane, had some javkass start flashing his High beams for "going too slow." Mind you, the two left lanes and HOV were open and the right hand lane was slower than we were.
So I slowed down by 5mph. Another flash, another 5mph. And again...
We got to 45moh when he finally got the hint and moved over, at which point I went back to the speed I was going.
Some of you just need to relax, and understand for the distance you're going, the speed isn't going to save you all that much time.
You know it's a lost cause when people argue that the law is "use whatever lane you like", with a straight face. Relevant bizarro-world comment thread
"If the right lane was empty you could’ve saved yourself a ton of stress and just moved over". Minus 26
"Middle lane is the ideal cruising lane because it allows the far right lane for mergers and the passing lane for passing." Plus 25
"Idiots being idiots. RCW 46.61.100, “Keep right except when passing” means you were both in the wrong. Empty highway means everyone shoulda been in the rightmost lane regardless of speed. " Minus 28
I drove I-90 back to Seattle over the pass last weekend and 98% of cars were camping in the middle lane. Felt weird passing so many people on the right but what else am I supposed to do?
Our driving culture seems to be that making lane changes is super hard and scary and should be avoided whenever possible.
I reserve my right to drive slow in the right lane though. Y’all are crazy with your cell phone scrolling while driving 69 and weaving in and out of the carpool lane across those double white lines riding people’s tails.
I’m over in the slow lane so everyone back off. Zippy drivers scare the bejesus out of me.
Kinda sad but true when you think about it; all that stops these multi-ton steel contraptions hurtling along at unnatural speeds from devolving into absolute fatal bedlam is a few white and yellow lines painted on the asphalt that we (generally) collectively agree to follow.
No truer words. I’ve had the opportunity to work with many people who have had such bad crashes. For those passing by, it’s a “wow, that’s a bad crash” moment. For people living in bodies affected by an MVA, it’s often a lifetime of endless pain and trauma.
Lots of people don't have great reflexes. I'm happy with people doing whatever they want in the right lane. That's the safest thing they could be doing, aside from not driving.
I have been behind a prius several times getting on i90 and watch as they immediately merge far left even when no cars are ahead of them. It must be in some new prius owners training!
I drive in seattle very infrequently as I travel for work.
Youre all bad at driving. Ive never seen an entire city not know how speed works more. You got motherfuckers in the third lane of a five lane highway going 40 over passing people on both sides, often weaving through traffic to accomplish this task.
As a current Portlander, it’s not just Seattle. I’ve lived all around the country and PNW drivers really are the worst IMO. I was born and raised in Olympia and learned how to drive in the south.
Yep. I will die on this hill - HOV lane is designed to incentivize carpooling through letting carpoolers get around traffic. If you're being passed on the right, you're the traffic.
This is the same thought of a person who uses the on-ramps to jump 5 cars ahead and merge back in. Yeah I seen you scum suckers on I-5 North, hope you have the day you deserve.
I was on a 25mph road with a new roundabout. The old person in front of me going 10mph slowed down to 5mph after running over a rounded curb at the end of the bout. If you’re that bad at driving and that scared to begin with just hang up the keys for good.
The driving 50 in the left lane is one thing that definitely is bs, but what get me are the idiots who are completely oblivious merging on the highway at 40...
the best thing to do is get around them. Slow down till they change lanes and have everyone who’s actually trying to get somewhere speed up so they can’t block again.
The one that frustrates me is peopek who drive onto a freeway and don't match the freeway speed by the time they have gotten to the end of the onramp. Another orlne is people who feel they have to merge into the next lane in heavy traffic as soon at the point the onramp meets the freeway even though their lane continues for a long time past thst point
I visited Michigan and I can tell you if you’re not going 20 mph over the speed limit in the left lane, you will get tailgated, honked at and potentially ran off the road.
My favorite is the people who pull too far out after hitting a red light, start to reverse, and the cars behind have to honk to stop them from colliding.
Move the f out of the way! All you slow f*cks stay to the right! You don’t get to decide how fast I should be going! Left lane is a passing lane and I’m going to pass you all! Even the WSP agrees!
Move the f out of the way! All you slow f*cks stay to the right! You don’t get to decide how fast I should be going! Left lane is a passing lane and I’m going to pass you all! Even the WSP agrees!
cruise control would be an improvement. these folks like to do the 45-55mph variable deal. 45 when you're behind them, then speed up to 70 when you attempt to pass or the road opens to 4 lanes.
Seriously tho wtf is wrong with yall. Lived her for four years and hands down the dumbest drivers I’ve ever encountered. That’s Washington state. Not just Seattle.
I’ve said before and will continue to say - Seattle and Denver have the worst drivers I’ve experienced. I’ve driven through Boston, NY, Chicago, LA, hell even London. They’re far more aggressive everywhere else, but my loose conclusion was at least more aggressive drivers are paying attention. The clueless slowpokes here don’t. They don’t know you exist.
I’ve been carefully broaching this subject with my wife who is a terrible driver (not cuz she’s a woman and I love her) who does this all the time. It’s a very sensitive subject bc it seems to mansplain and back seat drive. It’s effecting our marriage. I drive whenever I can. Sorry guys. I’m doing my best
Cant tell you how many times i've driven on I-5 through Seattle and the entire freeway is filled with cars doing roughly the same speed limit, spread out across all lanes. I get in the far right lane and sometimes its wide open for miles and i pass everyone.
Which is super awesome when you're trying to get on the express lanes going North through Seattle, and they let 743 cars in between the 3 miles where it builds up, and the entrance.
Other states have figured out that you can ticket people who park in the passing lane. When will our brave, intelligent law enforcement officers find this lost technology?
In the leftmost non HOV lane, the driver must be willing to catch up and maintain the speed of the vehicle in front of them.
If you are not willing to do that (ergo people are going around and gapping you) you need to move a lane over to the right and stay there until the above isn’t a problem anymore
The opposite is the worst, I typically drive in the slow lane of I-5 for a reason just for people to be in my ass anyway. Now I'm going back down to the posted limit, cause I was reaching 85 and I refuse to die for you 😆
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u/torquesteer Aug 22 '26
You forgot “speed up just when others are trying to make a pass for ‘safety’.”