A new fad for left-lane drivers

[question everything]

Saturday, March 19, 2005

A new fad for left-lane drivers

By: LOUISE CANNON - Staff Writer (North San Diego County Times)

Anyone who thinks the ultimate Southern California status symbol is a pair of genuine sheepskin Ugg boots in powder-puff pink, a BMW convertible or a beachfront condo has missed the mark completely. It's actually driving in the far-left lane of your local highway. If one has a cell phone dangling from one's ear as the latest accessory, they look even niftier.

(snip)

Whether it's a young lad in a little, red, hot speed demon of a car going 90 miles per hour, or a mom in the mini-van driving 55, everyone's fighting for a cruise in this one lane ---- which from the looks of it has about the same topography and color of all the other lanes and is not paved with diamonds... Next time you're on the interstate, observe that the space cushion between cars in the left lane is about 20 centimeters.

And if one dares leave any more space between their automobile and the one in front, another car that hasn't quite been cool enough to make it to the fast lane immediately upon entering the freeway ---- probably had the wrong haircut or something ---- squeezes in.

(snip)

Why? I'll tell you why. Just like smoking in the boys' room once upon a time, it just looks cool. It's important to note that these far-lefties ---- not talking politics here ---- like to stay in the preferred lane as long as possible. That's why they wait until about one-eighth of a mile from their exit to begin charging into the right lanes.

(snip)

Staff writer Louise Cannon covers Oceanside schools. She can be reached at [e-mail].

http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2005/03/19/opinion/commentary/21_15_363_18_05.txt

[TahitiNut]

1. That's funny. It describes SoCal rush hour drivers pretty well.

They come in two categories: the quick and the dead. People with no hope of ever learning to parallel park discover they can wedge their rolling coffins into shorter spaces with aplomb. I've seen folks do this while reading a newspaper and sipping on a latte. Driver, not passenger. (Thrill-seekers would rather bungee-jump than be a passenger. The over-medicated are an exception.) I discovered the 'rule of thumb' in left-lane driving was: if I could see pavement over the hood of my car and below the rear bumper of the car ahead, there'd be another car in that space before I could say 'Mad Max.' It's Darwinism in action.

[question everything]

2. Not just rush hour. We would drive from Tijuana

to LA on a weekend and one could move faster, and safer, if one would drive on the middle lane, since everyone would crowd to the left lane.

[Mairead]

3. Doing that balances their politics, I suspect. Reveals their IQ, too (nt)

[Kazak]

4. Good...more of the other lanes for the rest of us.

:shrug: