Driving Slow in the Fast Lane

I watched someone ahead of me driving home last night.  Lady in a Jaguar, tooling along at about 35—in a 55 mph zone.  Apparently it made people crazy.

It also made them make risky, last-minute moves: some folks drove right up on her tail, then quickly switched to the side, glared at her, and sped past.  Others just tailgated. 

She was serenely unaware—or maybe uncaring—of the havoc her dawdling along in the speedy lane was causing. 

So if you're inclined to drive slowly, stay to the right and let the less-patient drivers pass you.

If you're a speedy driver, allow the slow ones the courtesy to move to the right lane, instead of relentlessly riding her bumper.

If she won't move (and some older people, some new drivers from other countries are too petrified to move to the right if they know they're turning left in, say, 3 miles….), wait until it's safe to move around the slow car, and give plenty of space before you ease back into the fast(er) lane.

Let's all get home safely!

Karen Grigsby Bates is a Los Angeles correspondent for NPR News and co-author, with Karen Elyse Hudson, of The New Basic Black: Home Training For Modern Times (Doubleday).

is a Los Angeles-based correspondent for NPR News and co-author, with Karen Elyse Hudson, of The New Basic Black: Home Training For Modern Times (Doubleday).