How to: the Highway System

There are a lot of things that annoy me in life. Incompetence is probably the biggest one.

I should clarify, of course, as I am, in fact, pretty incompetent in many fields, chiefly among them mathematics, auto repair, and almost everything not computer or history related. That's not the kind of incompetence I hate. No one can be reasonably expected to be good at everything. It's really only a mass misunderstanding of widely used skills or technologies that bothers me.

The standard example of this phenomenon is the misuse of personal computers (the subject of which will almost certainly be a blog post in and of itself). However, one thing no one seems to understand that everyone (or at least everyone who drives) should, is how to properly use the highway system.

Despite apparent mass confusion about how to drive on the highway, it's really not that hard. Are you going faster than the person in front of you? Move left. If you aren't, then stay right. Which lane you should be in is not arbitrary or subjective. You should be as far right as you can possibly be at all times unless you're passing. You move left only to pass or exit. (Left exits do exist, usually on highways whose designers are as stupid as the people they were designed for). If you're going 55 MPH in the left lane, you need to get out of the way.

Let me also make it perfectly clear that this has nothing whatsoever to do with the speed limit. If you're going ten over and the guy behind you wants to go faster, then move right if possible. It's really that simple. That's how the system was designed to work. Faster = left. Slower = right. If you can't figure out a system designed in the same vein as reading, you may want to consider staying off the road.

Oh and one thing you should absolutely never do is go the same speed as the person to your right. If you're going too slow in the left lane, people who know how to drive can (and will) pass you on the right if they are able. (Don't be surprised if they cut you off, especially if others on the road are using the system properly.) If you are going the same speed as the person to your right, however, you're blocking traffic. People will get angry, and with good reason.

I drive from PA to Maine at least once a year. In my experience, and for obvious reasons, it's people from Connecticut and Maryland who seem to have the hardest time understanding the highway system. People from PA aren't great either, especially around Philadelphia. (New Jersey drivers are the best, incidentally. No joke.)

To be fair, I know I was never taught this in driving school, which is odd, when you consider that it's pretty important. A lot of people I talk to weren't taught this sort of thing either. Apparently there is a hole in the education somewhere. So maybe it shouldn't bother me, but then again, try following grandma for 80 miles at 55 miles per hour next time you're on a twelve hour drive and see if it doesn't bother you too.