When driving an interstate in high traffic I often stay in the left lane. Not because i think it is fast but because I only have to worry about cars coming at me from one side.
Problem with that is cars will be coming up on you from on your more blind right side. And when the traffic picks up speed again you'll be slowing faster traffic and therefore causing them to pass in the right lanes.
The whole problem is that we are simply not educated enough to understand just how much safer the highways are when traffic follows a keep right model (far right) on most highways and pass left. There are sections of highway that go for miles near me with 4 and 5 lanes but you would never know it because people insist on staying left or even middle. This causes delays, forces passers to do so in the more right sided lanes, etc...and it all leads to dangerous roads.
Just look at the models of most European nations highways. It works. And it works on highways with high or even no speed limits. We (the US) have some the worst record as for highway accidents and deaths in the world and yet our speed limits are ridiculously low on many of them. And still we cant seem to get out of our own way. Keeping far right is a primary means to a goal of safe roads. I don't know when the powers that be will finally admit this but instead they rather let people keep dying in order to collect violations. You ever realize the times highway traffic has slowed for no apparent reason, people start passing left, all kinds of things happen and then just like that (snap) a few miles later its not there isn't any les traffic but its moving so freely again. Well, most those times its because an area was reached where an individual or a few individuals failed to keep right.
The studies on this has been done a hundred times over and its a fact that US highways are for more dangerous with the biggest reason being that we are so uneducated about the efficiency of keeping right. Many people don't even know it for being any sort of model at all. Its actually sad because its the biggest reason for all things bad on the highways.
Ever drive on a fairly or moderately empty highway? And with no immediate traffic Im in the right lane but then as I approach another vehicle who is in the middle lane or perhaps the 3rd of 4 lanes is going slower than me. I shouldn't have to cross 2 or 3 lanes to pass that person. That's where the danger comes in. that person should be on the right and I should only have to move over one lane to pass and then get back over. I shouldn't have to hit my break either (again more danger) and If someone behind me is going even faster they too can then simply move over one oir (if need be 2) lanes to pass the slower car and myself and then everyone gets back top the right. The other way that 3 or 4 lane road just became a 2 laner and not only defeats the congestion relief a 4 laner was suppose relive , but everything about it becomes a free for all and people start passing on the right, crossing too many lanes unnecessarily, driving in blind spots, hitting breaks, etc, etc... . and the whole things becomes dangerous all because people are not educated about how to efficiently drive on our highways.
My apologies I don't mean to turn this into a driving etiquettes thread but it amazes me today that we still in this country haven't yet been smart enough to make our roads so much safer. Instead they just keep enforcing low speed limits as though thats what gets it done and we keep (as we have forever) having among the most dangerous highways in the modern civilized world. When will they realize it hasn't worked because its not the answer. Or they do realize but refuse to give up the income which is the same as selling peoples lives and families out for violations revenue. Its really a sad shame.