Anyone ever heard this before

[Raider Ronnie]

I know Swimmer is a police officer so maybe he and others can chime in on this.

Yesterday late in the day after I finished a full day charter I had to run down to the Cape (Dennis) to pick up something.
On the way back up rt 6 from exit 9 I'm going along in my truck in the left lane. I'm doing 55 or just a bit over (keeping up with the rest of traffic.
After a while I notice a state trooper behind me.
I just kept going at the speed limit. The cop is behind me for quite a while and I thought he wanted me out of his way so I put on my r signal and moved over to the right of the 2 lane rd.
After a few minutes the cop changes lanes and is behind me again.
About a mile later he throws the blue lights on and pulls me over.
He comes up to my drivers door and I politely say hi, is there a problem>
He says.
"Do you know it's against the law to travel in the left (high speed) lane unless you are passing someone"
I look at him and think, Is this guy serious ???
I didn't know if to laugh at him or to call him nuts, but I just kept quiet, not trying to talk myself into a ticket, and told him " I never heard that before !
Next the cop sees I have a large (150 qt) cooler & a livewell barrel in the back of my truck and he asks if I've got any illegal stripers in them.
I tell him no and tell him I charter (as I know he he knew from the advertising decals on my tailgate. The coolers is for bringing ice to the boat and I was on my way to sell the livewell barrel.
The guy asks for my lic only (no registration) looks at it for a sec and sends me on my way.
So back to my point, anyone ever heard this that it's "illegal to travel in the left lane ?

[BigFish]

Did the trooper look like he was wet behind the ears??? 2 lane highway and thats what he thinks????

[PRBuzz]

It is an unknown/unfollowed/unenforced rule in MA but everywhere else: stay right unless passing! It is a law.

[Raider Ronnie]

Originally Posted by PRBuzz

It is an unknown/unfollowed/unenforced rule in MA but everywhere else: stay right unless passing! It is a law.

Stay right on a 2 lane rd thats historic for traffic jams ???

[BigFish]

Thats what I am sayin' Ronnie! Bet the guy lives on the North Shore and has never been to the Cape!! Slow day in Stateyville I guess!

[JohnnyD]

Originally Posted by Raider Ronnie

Stay right on a 2 lane rd thats historic for traffic jams ???

The left lane is only for passing, regardless of it being a one or two lane road. Only time I've heard of someone pulled over for it was when they were traveling 65 in the left lane on 95 with hardly any traffic around.

I see these signs all the time when we drive from Boston to Miami, once we get through CT.

[gone fishin]

It's a law - take note of the signs on the highways that say Stay right unless passing. I never heard of any trouper tagging or stopping anyone before. What time was the stop?

[Raider Ronnie]

Originally Posted by gone fishin

It's a law - take note of the signs on the highways that say Stay right unless passing. I never heard of any trouper tagging or stopping anyone before. What time was the stop?

Sat, about 5-6 pm

[Raider Ronnie]

I would love to see them try this on 93 north into Boston between 6-8 am on a week day if this is in fact law !!!

[The Dad Fisherman]

I was driving down route 1 one night in the left hand lane when this guy comes zooming right up on my ass and starts flicking his lights to make me move out of the way. Being the stubborn arse that I am I don't move, figured he could go around me. He flicks his lights again and I still ain't moving....next thing I know the blues go on and it’s a state trooper....he pulls me over and gives me a lecture on driving in the left hand lane and how me not moving could also lead to a road rage incident. WTF

[PaulS]

Its the law but I've never heard of anyone enforcing it.

[Saltheart]

Maybe he wanted to get by and was behind you a lot longer than you noticed?

Anyway , Keep right except to pass is the rule. I never heard of it being enforced that way either but I do know thats the rule.

[Mugz]

Happened to my brother traveling to the Cape for a job......same thing. Pulled him over for driving in the left hand lane. Officer said the left lane was for passing only!! You gotta be kidding me.

[WESTPORTMAFIA]

He thought you were cute thats all.

[FishermanTim]

Although the "law" states that the left lane is for passing only, it's really for SPEEDING only, as the only people that pass you are usually doing 80-90 in a 55-60 zone.
It never ceases to amaze me, that no matter what speed I travel, there will ALWAYS be some idiot that HAS to go faster, and he starts by tailgting me in whatever lane I'm in.
If there is sufficient traffic on a 2 lane road, and I'm in the left lane, then good luck! I won't speed up to satisfy the clown behind me, and I will change lanes when I feel it's safe to do so, and not before then.

That doesn't mean I will purposely get in front of someone. It just means that I value MY safety more than most other drivers value theirs.

[Slipknot]

I see no reason why people travel in the left lane when there is nobody in front of them unless they are passing someone in the right lane.
The left lane is for passing.
I hate when I want to get past someone and they are clogging up the passing lane. You shouldn't pass on the right, and you shouldn't have to.

I guess the rules of the road should be made more clear to people. Maybe a refresher course is needed to keep your license

[The Dad Fisherman]

Like George Carlin Said "Everyone thats going slower than me is a moron and everyone going faster than me is a A-Hole"

[MakoMike]

It figures that a bunch of m%$%$%$%$%$%$%$s wouldn't know that the law says to drive on the right except for passing. Almost everytime I find someone in the left hand lane of I95 just driving along not passing a soul, the car or truck has Mass. plates. What really gets me is that CT law says no passing on the right, but then they do nothing to enforce the stay right unless you're passing rule.

[MarshCappa]

You were good to be courteous and not escalate the matter as it seems he would have liked that. The comment about illegal fish seems a little over the top and provoking in nature. Seems like he was the one going fishing. I'll keep my lip zipped now.

[JohnnyD]

Originally Posted by MakoMike

Almost everytime I find someone in the left hand lane of I95 just driving along not passing a soul, the car or truck has Mass. plates. What really gets me is that CT law says no passing on the right, but then they do nothing to enforce the stay right unless you're passing rule.

That's interesting. Living so close to RI and always on the highways, I've gotten pretty skilled at predicting the plate on a car coming up behind my by how ridiculous they are driving. More often than not, the ones that cross from the far left lane over to the right and back again are from RI.

[PRBuzz]

[QUOTE=FishermanTim;773779]Although the "law" states that the left lane is for passing only, it's really for SPEEDING only, as the only people that pass you are usually doing 80-90 in a 55-60 zone.
It never ceases to amaze me, that no matter what speed I travel, there will ALWAYS be some idiot that HAS to go faster, and he starts by tailgting me in whatever lane I'm in.[QUOTE]

I do all my speeding in the breakdown lane when open during rush hrs since all the slow people tend to occupy the left most lanes.
My favorite is the person that merges onto a highway and immediately changes 2 lanes to the left to get into the high speed lane eventhough they are still doing only 40mph! Stay in the damn right lane until necessary to pass!

[Backbeach Jake]

I tend to travel in the left lane because of the morons who don't know what yield means and haven't developed any skill at merging.

[boot man]

I hope they star pulling over every donkey who sit sin the left lane when not passing. You really didnt know that the left lane was for passing?

[Swimmer]

It is illegal on a two-lane to drive in the passing lane without passing. For him to be behind you for so long he must have been bored. One thing people don't realize is that on some three lane roads, insert Mass. pike here, a truck with a GVWR of 5000 lbs. or more, it is illegal for a truck that size or larger to be in the third lane at any time. I have only heard of one trooper who gaves tickets for this offense and that was on the pike. He thought it was funny I didn't.

Ronnie he had run your plate an new everything about you before he pulled you over. Sounds like he was looking for something to do.

Like some of the guys mentioned passing on the right is dangerous but legal on all divided highways. Grass medians, jersey barriers, any type of permanent structure that divies a highway you can pass on the right.

On all other roads you are only allowed to pass on the right when someone is taking a left hand turn or about to take a left hand turn.

It does cause road rage to have someone stuck out there in that lane. It doesn't make any difference how fast you are going there is always some %$%$%$%$%$%$%$ looking to get by. Even my brother, he would drive 90 in the GD fishing focus and we would get passed. Most of the time by some guy in a 20 year old black f-250 with surfcasting rods in the back heading to the cape.

Chapter 89-sec. 2
... lines of moving vehicles, overtake and pass upon the right of another vehicle when
the vehicle overtaken is (a) making or about to make a left turn, (b) upon a ... 5k - Cached

[SurfCaster413]

The law states that you can only travel in the left lane for a quarter of a mile for passing purpose's only

[MakoMike]

it may be legal to pass on the right in MA but it is illegal in most states.

[Joe]

Was there another car next to you hampering his ability to pass? They don't like that. Good move being polite - dude was scrounging for a bust.

[Rockport24]

sometimes cops are just ridiculous. part of me wants to think this dude was profiling you as a poacher cause of the gear in your truck and was doing good investigative police work. The other part of me thinks staties are mostly jerks and look for an excuse to bust someone and act like a first class #^&#^&#^&#^&!