Friday, January 2, 2009

Life in the Left Lane, Part 12

Theory #12, Lane Means Distance

Man, totally forgot to post the last theory. Things have been hectic, so forgive me.

This is my final post on the topic. I saved the best for last though. After years of pondering I finally decided that this made the most sense. Obviously some of the other theories I've already proposed may come into play from time to time. However, I think the majority of drivers, at least in Maryland fall under this theory.

One thing we as citizens of the Western world appreciate is organization. What would the roads be like if there were no painted stripes or dashes telling us where to drive on the big slab of concrete or asphalt? We create laws for everything, rules for things that aren't covered by laws, and social norms for the rest. We constantly strive for order in a world of chaos.

All of this is to say that our minds are set to give meaning and function to everything around us, traffic being no exception. So when a person looks at a road, beyond the markings on it, they have certain perceptions of it. While much of society tells us that the lane on the left is for passing slower moving cars, there are alternate explanations. This theory being a strong 2nd.

In Maryland many people think the lanes are representative of the distance you intend to travel. I arrived at this after hearing a colleague explain, "I-95 is horrible. In the morning when I get onto the Interstate I just get into the left lane and go!" I thought, what an odd concept. What she had inadvertently explained to me was that if you intend to go a long distance you should indeed be in the left most lane, and in the right lane for short distances.

In some ways this makes sense. As explained in Theory 9, traveling in the left lane does provide fewer distractions from people getting on and off the interstate. On some roads the left lane is actually paved better, which also allows for a nicer trip.

The problem with this mindset is that it totally ignores the intended rate of speed for the trip. For people who perceive the road this way, distance trumps speed. I would argue that much of the conflict in how to use the left lane arises over this simple hierarchy of meaning.

While I now understand this concept, I totally don't agree with it. If half of the States in the US believe the left lane equates to speed, then that has to mean something. The real bottom line is that if you are driving on the road and everyone around you is irritated you should probably evaluate your driving habits. An ounce of consideration and respect for people around you goes a long way.

As a quick side note, MSN recently had an article about driving in the left lane. Interesting timing, eh? Here's a link: Left Lane Slowpokes Drive You Crazy?

Enough said.