A Usenet persona calling itself Nate Nagel
Only where the speed limit is 65 or higher, and only if it is not "unsafe" for me to merge to the right. Then again, the law does not use the word "actively," nor does it outline any specifications for how quickly one must "overtake" another vehicle.
Thus, if I'm in the left lane, and I'm attempting to overtake a vehicle in the right lane, and the other driver changes speed so as to reduce or eliminate the closing speed, (or I do, for reasons of my own) and I'm within 300 feet of that vehicle, or I'm within 300 feet of any other vehicle front or rear in the right lane, I'm not obligated to merge right because it would be unsafe to do so. Nor am I obligated to change (or not change) my speed to synchronize with a safe gap in traffic merely in order to get out of the left lane to accommodate scofflaws behind me. I can drive in the left lane for as long as I need to until traffic in the right lane is such that I can merge right safely. Which most of the time means never.
You see, the "you only have to merge right if it's not unsafe to do so" loophole overrides the "keep right except to pbutt" part of the regulation and exempts me from that provision until it's safe to merge right. And my metric for a "safe" gap into which I can properly merge is the Three Second Rule, which means a 600 to 660 foot gap between vehicles fore and aft at 65 to 75 mph.
When was the last time you saw a 660 foot gap in heavy urban traffic?
-- Regards, Scott Weiser
"I love the Internet, I no longer have to depend on friends, family and co-workers, I can annoy people WORLDWIDE!" TM
© 2005 Scott Weiser
