I’ve always tried to avoid running side by side with traffic in neighboring lanes myself, for the reasons your father provided. In all but the heaviest traffic, I prefer not to have a vehicle beside me and will accelerate to pass or slow down and fall back to avoid it. It’s gotten more difficult in recent years to do this because other drivers appear to be judging their speed by other cars, and pace you. You speed up, they speed up, you slow down, they slow down. I blame cell phones.
3 Things My Dad Taught Me About Driving (There are more, just keeping it short)
1. When driving a manual, ease into it. Don’t “pop” the clutch.
2. Never drive in the blind spot of a tractor trailer. If they initiated the pass, let them pass. If you initiated the pass, pass them.
3. If you miss your exit ramp, don’t pull over and reverse down the shoulder.
Me too. Talking on the phone only leaves about 50% of your attention on the road and surrounding vehicles.