• jballs@sh.itjust.works
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    11 months ago

    This is true when you’re not in heavy traffic. Otherwise, if you’re in the left lane you should be keeping up with the car ahead of you. If not, then get over. But the left lane isn’t a passing lane when there’s a thousand cars in front of you. Just accept that you can’t pass and don’t go swerving in and out of lanes to try and shave 10 seconds off your commute.

    • azertyfun@sh.itjust.works
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      11 months ago

      The law here in Belgium is that you can only pass on the right in traffic jams (if memory serves, under 50 km/h?).

      If everybody’s doing 120 km/h and everybody’s queuing up in the left lane, tough fucking luck, you’re not even allowed to undertake on the right. Some do it anyway but it’s quite unsafe because people have a bigger blind spot to their right and also don’t always check their mirrors since nobody’s supposed to be sneaking up on them.

      It’s a subtle difference, but we have no concept of a “passing” lane. Either you’re actively overtaking, or you’re staying as far right as possible. Every other lane position is illegal, no ifs, no buts (except in traffic jams). And yes, that definition means that you’re not allowed to loiter in the middle lane either, a concept that I find most Americans don’t seem to grasp since they think only the leftmost lane is the “passing lane”.