The left lane is not for slow drivers. It’s one of those rules of the road that you think everyone knows, and then you get behind someone going under the speed limit with a long line of cars behind them. That’s frustrating.
But what about this? “I am often forced out of the passing lane, even when I’m driving the maximum speed limit, so my question is: is it legal to speed in order to pass another vehicle from the left passing lane?"—Carla
Because Carla spends most of the time behind the wheel in Texas, we started there with Sergeant Richard Standifer. So, is it legal to speed in order to pass? "It is not. If the other vehicle is going slower than the posted speed limit, they'll be able to pass because that car is going slower than the posted speed limit."
But what about when someone is driving the posted speed limit in the non-passing lane? "It would be nice if those folks would move over to the right, but they're not required to move over to the right just to let you get down the road so you'll probably want to go ahead and maintain your speed.”
North Carolina has an Absolute Speed Law, which means you can be ticketed for speeding anytime you go over the limit, even if it's to pass someone.
And while it is a law in some states that you can only drive in the left lane to pass, that is not the case in North Carolina. There's no law that says you have to get out of the left lane.