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If I’m going the speed limit and you pass me on the right,you deserve a speeding ticket,AND another ticket for unsafe passing.

That's funny. I'm in NJ. You're "allowed" to go about 7 over, no problem, better to be 5 over to be safe. So, I do about 72 in 65. But on a 3 lane highway, the right lane is plain dangerous because MANY people, when merging (cars already on the road legally have the right of way, there is no legal "right" to merge), drive like they're dragging a heavy load. Dawdle along. So you'd constantly have to switch into the middle lane or break hard if you're in the right lane. Middle lane a lot of times goes less than the speed limit. Sometimes more, sometimes less. NJ drivers mostly keep a somewhat constant speed, but there are about 30% maybe that have psychological problems that simply want to be "in front" of other people. So if you're going 72 in the middle lane, you see them coming in the middle lane catching up to you. They pass, then pull in front, then, instead of continuing on faster than you, if no one's in front of you, they slow down slower than you're going. They just wanted to "catch up". So you pull into the left lane, pass - they pick up speed to try to prevent you from passing. Finally you zoom up to about 80 to 90, get in front of them and go back to 72. They catch up, the cycle continues. You simply can't maintain a constant speed in the middle lane. You'll come up behind many people doing 60 or less in a 65 in the middle lane. It's the lane of mental torture and dangerous passing. People usually wait until they're at their turnoff to get into the right lane. Many times there are people all clodded up in the middle and right lane at an exit, as they all try to funnel into a single lane off ramp from those two lanes. Mind you, there are semis barreling down on them. It's always fun. I get over way early, and leave 2 car lengths in front for some jerk to cut in, or to leave room in case a truck can't stop in time and smashes into the back of the line. Truckers almost always drive exactly the way I drive, except many of them confine themselves to the middle lane. I always cut them a break and let them out to pass, etc. NJ car drivers have not a clue what they do to trucks; sitting in their blind spot, force them to slam on brakes, etc. Once you drive a truck you know that getting going again after slamming on brakes is a lot of shifting and wasted fuel.

In NJ, where the weak are killed and eaten, however, it's actually "socially acceptable" to pass on the right. The theory is if you can do it, go for it. You have to constantly be on the lookout 360 degress, so you keep glancing in the rearview and "usually" see people coming up fast from behind. Many NJ speeders know exactly what I'm doing (72 in left lane, middle lane disaster, etc.) and the polite thing for them to do is just pass on right. You see experienced speeders checking their mirrors to pass, not mad at all. They know they're "pushing it", and as long as they don't force me to slam on my brakes, I could care less what they do, they're on their own.

Many NJ drivers do not have 360 awareness. They simply drive, often without even signalling they change lanes. You get so you can read the "car language" and know what dumbass move they're going to make. You always need an "out". If everyone slams to a stop, and the truck behind you loaded with Oxygen, or gasoline, jacknifes and continues moving in the same direction but sideways, exploding in a ball of fire, you need to know which way you can dart to simply avoid the whole mess and drive on to work. This is why one should never cruise alongside trucks. The guy in the lane to the right of him may cause him to go into the lane where you are.

Oh, the other good one: if you're in the middle lane cuz it's clear enough that not many are playing "the game" so you can just drive... you'll see people come up on you from miles back, in the left lane. They close on you steady and fast, about 15 to 20 mph faster than you. So if I'm doing 72 they're in the 80's. Many of those folks will get up to you then hover in your blind spot, just off your tail in the left lane, without passing. Slooowwwly pass. If there's no one in front of you, they slow down. Maybe get into the middle lane. Then slow down in front of you.

NJ driving is a pain. Very few maintain a constant speed except the truckers. Few watch their speedometer or instruments at all. If their coolant temp goes up, they don't know until there's smoke coming out from their hood. Constantly pull out in front of people. Especially if there is no on behind the oncoming car. Could have waited just 5 seconds, then had miles of clear to pull onto the road, but no. Have to cut the oncoming car off, then drive real slow. Make him slam on his brakes. "Hey, I have a right to be on the road, he'll just have to slam on his brakes."

Your post could have been written by me. I expect that the same driving patterns and habits predominate anywhere with high population density and heavy traffic (the Toronto-Niagara corridor, in my case). Some of it even outside of the built-up areas where there’s no excuse - yeah, I’ve seen the idiots that just have to pass me (when I’m in the right lane of two, with my cruise set at 114 kph - speed limit 100 kph - a speed I know will keep me off the cop’s radar), get in front of me, and then slow down to below my absolutely stable speed. So I pass them and resume doing 114, and next thing they do it again. So I take a chance and hammer down to 140 or 150 for a minute (about 85-90 mph) and put them a good distance behind me, and that seems to shake them off and I never see them again.

Still, I think what I said before still applies - if you’re not passing someone in the middle lane (of 3), or about to, there’s no reason to be cruising along in the left lane. But if it’s really busy, and you’re doing a good speed already and generally passing slower traffic (and there’s probably not really anywhere to go faster in front of you, anyway), then staying in the left lane is reasonable. I won’t get out of the left lane where I’m in a groove, so that I can get stuck in slower traffic in the middle lane (where the daydreamers, nose pickers, etc, are, as you say), just so that some guy in a hurry can get 10 car lengths further in the left lane before ending up behind another car going the same speed I was. But outside the built-up areas, when the traffic’s fairly light and you can just as easily do your chosen speed in the right lane as the left? No reason to be in the left.