So then, someone astutely noted:

>My best experience has been in rural Texas where the shoulders are wide and
>paved and nearly everyone will pull onto them at speed to allow you to pass
>without you having to cross the centerline.  (Or maybe they were just aiming
>at the armidillos. ;)

Here in Cal. this is a rare occurrence, but it is actually practiced in the
Yuba City/
Marysville to Sacramento stretch of Hwy something-or-other.  It's pretty
un-Cal.-
like to have someone move half their car onto a shoulder in an attempt to
help
prolong your (driving) lifespan (but I'm NOT complaining!  :-)  )

BTW, the last I read, on a Cal. multi-lane hwy, it IS permissable to pass on
the 
right if it's clear.  I usually try to pass on the left (I'm under most
circumstances
a right-lane hog), but there are times when the prudent move is to pass on
the
(far) right and move on with things.  There's an underlying theme in this
thread
that says many people gum up the middle and fast lanes, which I find to be
true,
therefore, it would stand to reason that the slow lane would have a lesser
amt.
of traffic.  However, one must expect slow lane traffic to cover a wide range
of
speeds.

Maybe it's time for American society to slap a big bad stigma on bad driving
habits...  I'm sure veterans of the autobahns, autostradas, etc. can
appreciate
this.

Norman "non-LLB" Leong
norman_leong@baynetworks.com