The right lane is often used for exiting or merging, so being in the middle lane is safer and allows others to use the right lane for this purpose more easily.
Frequently switching between right and middle lane because of the occasional slower/merging car only increases the chances of a collision, because switching lanes is more complicated than staying in one lane.
Staying in one lane all throughout the drive reduces cognitive load for the driver. This means they’re less distracted and can respond better to surprises or emergencies. (I’m assuming they’re not distracted by something else like using their phone, that’s a whole other topic)
In urban areas, the right lane is closer to parked cars, cyclists and pedestrians, making it inherently more dangerous to drive in.
So yeah, if the right lane is completely empty of cars and it’s not an urban area, they should use it. Otherwise, middle lane is probably the best choice.
You thouched the core of the thing at the very end: basically how appropriate or not it is to ride in center lane when there’s plenty of room in the rightmost lane depends on how frequent exits and entrances are in the stretch of road you’re in as well as how those entrances and exits are setup (basically, how long is the merge lane), the speed you’re going at and the risk due to things on the side of the road.
I don’t think anybody is contesting not being on the right lane all the time in an avenue in the middle of a city where there are constant junctions with side streets.
That said your “cognitive load” theory is all about doing what’s best for yourself and fuck everybody else - if somebody is needlessly on the center lane when there’s plenty of room on the right lane and plenty of distance between entrances, then they’re just needlesslesy forcing others to endanger themselves by going into an even more dangerous lane, and doing because they lazy and selfish (because having to pay attention maybe once every couple of minutes to entrances or overtaking isn’t all that much cognitive load unless one is an actual moron in the scientific sense.
That’s the same logic used by people who don’t use direction indicators unless it’s helpful for them personally.
The optimal level of selfishness so that the road is as safe as possible for everybody is quite a bit below “whatever is less of a hassle for me”.
The middle lane is an overtaking lane just like any other lanes toward the middle of the roadway (reverse that for the handful of countries that drive on the other side of the road). Every country I’ve sat for a drivers test in has had that as a very basic concept and the single country I’ve actually seen it followed had the best damn driving experience (German’s follow the rules and their roads are better for it).
I agree with you. The thing is, the overriding principle (and law) of driving is to be cautious. By my interpretation, all other laws can be bent if bending them is safer than strictly adhering to them. Hence my previous comment.
Depending on the road, this might be reasonable.
The right lane is often used for exiting or merging, so being in the middle lane is safer and allows others to use the right lane for this purpose more easily.
Frequently switching between right and middle lane because of the occasional slower/merging car only increases the chances of a collision, because switching lanes is more complicated than staying in one lane.
Staying in one lane all throughout the drive reduces cognitive load for the driver. This means they’re less distracted and can respond better to surprises or emergencies. (I’m assuming they’re not distracted by something else like using their phone, that’s a whole other topic)
In urban areas, the right lane is closer to parked cars, cyclists and pedestrians, making it inherently more dangerous to drive in.
So yeah, if the right lane is completely empty of cars and it’s not an urban area, they should use it. Otherwise, middle lane is probably the best choice.
You thouched the core of the thing at the very end: basically how appropriate or not it is to ride in center lane when there’s plenty of room in the rightmost lane depends on how frequent exits and entrances are in the stretch of road you’re in as well as how those entrances and exits are setup (basically, how long is the merge lane), the speed you’re going at and the risk due to things on the side of the road.
I don’t think anybody is contesting not being on the right lane all the time in an avenue in the middle of a city where there are constant junctions with side streets.
That said your “cognitive load” theory is all about doing what’s best for yourself and fuck everybody else - if somebody is needlessly on the center lane when there’s plenty of room on the right lane and plenty of distance between entrances, then they’re just needlesslesy forcing others to endanger themselves by going into an even more dangerous lane, and doing because they lazy and selfish (because having to pay attention maybe once every couple of minutes to entrances or overtaking isn’t all that much cognitive load unless one is an actual moron in the scientific sense.
That’s the same logic used by people who don’t use direction indicators unless it’s helpful for them personally.
The optimal level of selfishness so that the road is as safe as possible for everybody is quite a bit below “whatever is less of a hassle for me”.
The middle lane is an overtaking lane just like any other lanes toward the middle of the roadway (reverse that for the handful of countries that drive on the other side of the road). Every country I’ve sat for a drivers test in has had that as a very basic concept and the single country I’ve actually seen it followed had the best damn driving experience (German’s follow the rules and their roads are better for it).
I agree with you. The thing is, the overriding principle (and law) of driving is to be cautious. By my interpretation, all other laws can be bent if bending them is safer than strictly adhering to them. Hence my previous comment.