Montana's Left Lane Law... Make Sure You Know It

If you are a driver who sits in the left lane and aren't using it to pass then you need to reevaluate the way you drive and possibly your life. Who has ever said "Ah, look at that driver sitting in the left lane all impermeable. I'm really proud of the way he or she is blocking an entire lane and slowing down traffic. Good on them."

No, that doesn't happen because you suck if you're a left-lane camper. I'm sorry I blew up.

Just so you know if you are a camper in the left lane then you are a criminal. A map popped up on the Montana sub-Reddit page showing the highway lane discipline laws in every state in the U.S.

Credit: r/coolguides

Montana is shaded blue which means you "Keep ALL THE WAY right. Left and center lane travel prohibited unless overtaking or turning left."

*clears throat*

KEEP OUT OF THE LEFT LANE UNLESS YOU ARE PASSING

Montana, Washington, Maine, Massachusetts and Delaware all have the same keep out of the way law. Meanwhile, our neighbors and most of the Western U.S. falls in the orange category which is you "Must keep to the right when slower than the normal speed of traffic." That is a fine rule, too.

The bottom line: Use the left lane for passing only.

Montanans also need to figure out how to zipper merge. Construction on I-90 cut the roadway down to one lane last summer. As a driver who knows what to do during a merge, I used both lanes all the way up to the merge point because THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO DO. You are not supposed to merge immediately you are supposed to use both lanes up to the merge point. I don't get why people need to merge at first sight of roadwork. When you do that you slow everyone down.

I'm sorry I blew up.