I received the following question on the phone recently. "Mr. Rowland, I was driving with my girlfriend this weekend.  We passed a police officer while I was in the left lane of I-675 (no other cars around) and she freaked.  She swore that driving in the left lane is illegal unless your passing. Who's right?"

Ohio follows the Uniform Vehicle Code and requires drivers to be in the right lane if they are going slower than the normal speed of traffic regardless of the posted speed limit.  Your girlfriend is probably from some of the more enlightened states which have adopted laws forbidding travel in the left lane unless passing or turning left. A chart of state laws on this topic can be found here: http://www.driverightpassleft.com/laws/index.asp. 

As with most things you are technically correct, but your girlfriend is philosophically correct.  Ohio Revised Code section 4511.25 permits you to drive in the left lane.  But common sense and decency requires you to use the right lane in case someone who is driving faster comes up behind you.  With no other cars on the road get over! 

For a wonderful discussion of this issue, please visit www.driverightpassleft.com, a sight dedicated to getting slower cars to pull to the right.