Indiana State Trooper's Important Reminder

Whether it was in western New York, Pennsylvania, or Ohio this summer or recently during trips to Nashville in Louisville, I was amazed at drivers who seemed to forget something...

You don't drive slow in the left lane. It honestly didn't happen nearly as much during a WEEK in the northeast as it did in one DAY last week in Tennessee. And what about when a motorist moves into the left lane to pass and then SLOWS DOWN. That really doesn't happen too often, but it did last Saturday. Getting to Nashville on I-65 (which somehow seems to NARROW when you cross the state line) is tough enough, thanks to that downgrade. We don't impediments.

THE LEFT LANE IS FOR PASSING

So, I was pleased to see this reminder come across my Facebook feed:

It's pretty basic, but it still seems we need reminding. But wait, there's more. I mentioned slow drivers in the left lane, but that doesn't mean drivers should camp out in that lane, even IF they're faster. That's why we see signs that read "Keep right except to pass" up and down our nation's interstates.

WHY THE LEFT LANE SHOULD ONLY BE FOR PASSING

And whenever I write about some traffic issue, insurance company websites are always reliable sources of information, which makes sense. Progressive explains why it's risky to remain in the left lane:

When drivers use the left lane as just another traffic lane rather than a dedicated passing lane, they cause other vehicles to weave between lanes to pass. Some experts believe that this creates more opportunities for accidents.

THERE'S A DARKER REASON YOU SHOULD ONLY BE IN THE LEFT LANE TO PASS

We see that a lot, don't we? The weaving. It makes me a nervous wreck. Anyway, Progressive points out another reason we motorists need to be happy in the left lane, and it's something that didn't occur to me. It's kind of dark, too:

There’s another serious driving hazard connected to left lane driving: road rage. Some studies have identified left lane driving among the five behaviors that most irritate other drivers.

LEFT LANE LAWS IN INDIANA AND KENTUCKY

As for laws regarding left-lane driving in Indiana and Kentucky, it's pretty broad in the Hoosier State:

As of July 1, 2015 the left lane of a multilane highway is for passing.

And it's only a little more specific in the Commonwealth:

Keep right except to pass where speed limit is at least 65.

Bottom line--and it can't be mentioned enough--don't drive slow in the left lane. Don't REMAIN in the left lane, if possible. It's always good to enter a new year safely.

LOOK: See how much gasoline cost the year you started driving

To find out more about how has the price of gas changed throughout the years, Stacker ran the numbers on the cost of a gallon of gasoline for each of the last 84 years. Using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (released in April 2020), we analyzed the average price for a gallon of unleaded regular gasoline from 1976 to 2020 along with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for unleaded regular gasoline from 1937 to 1976, including the absolute and inflation-adjusted prices for each year.

Read on to explore the cost of gas over time and rediscover just how much a gallon was when you first started driving.