June Is Lane Courtesy Month, So Move Over!! [Video]

You know what that means? It means you need to stop driving slow in the fast lane!!!!!
Seriously.

Yielding to faster traffic is a simple concept, but it's often forgotten. Chances are that when you're behind the wheel, you see a bunch of people ignoring this basic driving rule, which is commonly referred to as lane courtesy.

That's why the National Motorists Association (NMA) Foundation is promoting June as Lane Courtesy Month.

"We want to bring attention to this important issue. If everyone would practice lane courtesy, driving would be more enjoyable, our roads would be safer, congestion would be reduced, and we would even save money on gas!" says the NMA's web page.

But as noble as their efforts are, the best article I've read on getting the hell out of the way comes from Vox.com:

Research shows that many traffic jams result from a surprisingly small number of slow cars obstructing traffic, with their effects rippling outward. A small buildup of cars that can't pass because someone is driving slowly in the left — right next to another car traveling slowly in the right — is the exact type of scenario that can start this cascade of traffic.

 

Now, some people counter that as long as they're going the speed limit, they don't have to move over — and by slowing down would-be speeders, they're making the roads safer.

 

Apart from the fact that in 44 states, simply going the speed limit doesn't permit drivers to travel in the left lane, this argument doesn't make a lot of sense based on research into how accidents occur....  research has generally shown that the strongest predictor of an accident isn't speeding, but variance from the average speed of traffic — and a car going five miles per hour slower than the surrounding traffic has a greater chance of causing an accident than one going five miles per hour faster than it.

Here's a couple of driving songs to emphasize my point.