The writer of this letter echoes what I have been thinking while driving the Subang Jaya-Penang route along the North-South Expressway: Why doesn't anyone use the left-most lane for cruising?!
I have noticed it many times. The middle and right lanes are always occupied by cruising vehicles (i.e. they are not overtaking anyone at that time). Some even cruise below the legal speed limit, so if I were to be cruising at 110kph, and they at 100kph, I effectively overtake them from the left!
Why is it so hard to use the left lane? This I believe is due to the misconception of highway lanes and their uses.
Firstly, the left lane is popularly called the "slow" lane. Drivers don't like to be labeled as "slow". Hence they use the middle or right lanes, typically labeled "fast" lanes. Well, this is wrong understanding! The left most lane is actually the "cruising" lane, i.e. if you're not overtaking anyone, stick to this lane. You can be traveling at 110kph (or higher, if you so wish) and still be in the left lane, as long as you are not overtaking anyone. The moment you want to overtake someone, you signal to the middle or right lanes, which are known as "overtaking" lanes. One could be driving at 80kph, but as long as he is overtaking a slow lorry traveling at 60kph, he is legally allowed to occupy the overtaking lane for the duration that he is performing the overtaking maneuver.
I always use the cruising lane. I find it to be so much smoother compared to using the overtaking lanes all the time.
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