Which lane in the rain?

[Little Joe]

First big rain of the season came about six hours early yesterday, so I spent two hours riding in a downpour. I was geared for it, so no problem there (BTW, the Streetguard 2 suit kept me warm and bone-dry).

 

As I prepared to merge onto a local freeway, about 200 yards ahead, a stakebed truck pulling a utility trailer locks the brakes up trying to avoid rear-ending the guy in front of him. Of course, half the drivers behind the truck haven't left enough following distance, so some of them are locking up or changing lanes without looking. I gingerly eased by without incident.

 

It got me to thinking: what's the best freeway lane in the rain? On a dry day, I normally I ride the #1, which has a wide emergency lane to the left. I leave plenty of space in front, and move to the #2 if I'm in front of someone for whom 72-75 in a 65 isn't cutting it. Most of the near-misses I see involve drivers changing lanes without looking, so I figure I'm better off where others can only enter my lane from one side.

 

In the rain, though, especially an early season rain, the problem is almost always following distance. When there is an incident like yesterday, my worry is that a cager beside me is likely to veer into my lane to avoid the potential rear-ender that he's courting by following too closely. And there are plenty of people that think it's OK to drive 15 mph over the limit in the #1 lane in the rain. So even if I was willing to do 7-10 mph over in the #1 (which I'm not), I'm at risk of the knucklehead on my a$$ deciding that HE needs the emergency lane to avoid me.

 

So I opted for the #2 lane, moving over to the #3 as necessary. It kept me out of the constant merging in the #3 and #4 lanes, gave me three options if a problem develops ahead (1: brake (most likely), 2: swerve left if clear, 3: swerve right if clear) and kept me away from in front of those who actually think California has just one season.

 

What do you do?

[Rocket_Cowboy]

I like your decision to use the #2 lane, leaving you bail out options in either the #1 or #3 lanes. I'd avoid the #4 lane, as I don't like people jumping on/off the highway.

[ShovelStrokeEd]

Rain, and heavy rain at that, is far more common down here in Florida than in most of California. I too tend to run the center lane. The main problem I have down here is people slow waaaay down, I'm talking 30 mph on a 70 mph freeway here. I tend not to drop my speed all that much as it is easier to keep the face shield clear at 70 or 80 than it is at 45. Pulling off is NOT an option as drivers will take all sorts of silly actions. Fact is, Floridians in general and the older ones in particular, can't drive for sh!t in clear weather and it just deteriorates when things turn the least bit bad.

 

The above minirant aside though, I have seen many more upside down cars on the LA area freeways than ever I have seen in Florida.

[MotorinLA]

On LA freeways the drainage systems often leave something to be desired. As a result, there are often large puddles on the left shoulder or in the #1 lanes. This leads to increased chances of hydroplaning, people swerving right into the #2 lane and water splashing into the #1 lane from the opposing side of the freeway.

 

Just something to consider in your lane choice...

[upflying]

Rain or not, I'm always in the #1 lane, left wheel position. That keeps all potential threats to my right. The #1 lane tends to be the least oily and gives you an escape on the left shoulder.

[jaytee]

On LA freeways the drainage systems often leave something to be desired. As a result, there are often large puddles on the left shoulder or in the #1 lanes. This leads to increased chances of hydroplaning, people swerving right into the #2 lane and water splashing into the #1 lane from the opposing side of the freeway.

 

Just something to consider in your lane choice...

 

I tend to ride more in Orange and Riverside countines so the #1 left shoulder problem is not as pronounced as in LA. But I still stick to the #1 lane, just the far right side of it. I may not have the shoulder, but its worth it to stay out of the puddling and away from oncoming traffic during rain.

 

JT