Why does traffic seem to move faster in the slow lane on the freeway than the fast lane?

Answer 1

Because everyone moves to the passing lane. By the way, it's not the fast lane. Many people don't know this. It's really called the passing lane. In other words, if you aren't passing a vehicle, then you have no business driving in the left most lane.

Answer 2

It is a perception of your mind, not an objective view of reality. There have been studies done on this phenomenon. To see if you get there faster by jumping back and forth trying to stay in the lane that is "moving" OR if you do better by staying in one lane.

Oddly, and frustratingly you do marginally better to stay in one lane. The reasons why people move back and forth between the "moving" lanes have to do with the way our brains process space and time, and thus motion.

When we are driving in our cars we rarely look at objective landmarks, such as buildings to judge our AVSOLUTE speed since they change so quickly. Instead we focus on our REALITIVE speed to things around us. I.e. how fast am I going compared to the car next to me?

Our brains try to compare the data we get from the background about absolute speed and our focus of relative speed to have an idea about how fast we are actually going. But our mind plays a trick on us. Humans weren't designed to go as fast as we do in cars, we cannot quite grasp how fast we are really going, so our brains weigh the relative speed much more heavily.

Basically it is an optical illusion, our brains trick us into thinking we are either "booking it" or "falling behind" based on the position of the other cars. Since the car you are in may be stopped the other cars seem MUCH more fast than they would if you were even moving a little.

Also the feeling of being passed is over estimated because it happens so quickly our brains overestimate the significance of the quantity. So even if only 5 cars pass you it seems like you have been getting passed FORVER....

But statistical models and real life testing have proven that in the end the two lanes do balance out. The car next to you gets "passed" just as often as you do.

Hope that helps.

Answer 3

Well the slower lane cars are exiting and entering, so there is alot of movement. The faster lanes are always going at the same rythim. I too like the slow lane, traffic goes in and out.

Answer 4

For the same reason that no matter what line your in at the bank or grocery store the other seems to go faster. It is all in your mind because your line is not moving fast enough for you, therefore the other lines must be moving faster. Yet studies show that it is not true.

Answer 5

Because if you live in Florida and you are a old (over 77 years old) person the law says that you must drive a HUGE car do 39mph in fast lane with your left signal light on. ....
J/K, don't know why but it seems true some times don't it?? 0_-

Answer 6

there are some people who drives really slow on the fast lane, and dont even bother letting other people pass.

Answer 7

because people in the slow lane are taking exits

Answer 8

Because SOME people should'nt be driving other wise there's absoultly no EXCUSES

Answer 9

REALLY GRID LOCK IS EQUAL HERE

Answer 10

because old people feel safer in that lane dunno y thats a hole nother question