Another problem is drivers who insist on driving in the left lane at all times and refuse to move over. IIRC, the left lane used to be referred to as the 'passing' lane...
There are even laws on the books specifying the left lane as the "passing lane". There seems to be a recent trend in making these more strict, so I wonder what effect they're having. This guy seems to have an up-to-date catalogue (green indicates more strict):
If there's a slow car in the outside lane, and they're not making any attempt to overtake anything, you generally flash them until they move over. They are, after all, breaking the law.
What if a car is in the passing lane doing the speed limit? Asking them to move out of the lane so another driver could pass by speeding, breaking the law, doesn't make much sense either.
Yes. It's amazing to watch if you're used to driving in the US. You'll get an unbelievable amount of grief if you allow yourself to be approached from behind in the inside lane. Even driving in the center lane, you are expected to move outside if there is room to do so. Try driving there long-term and you'll get fast drivers cutting you off from the passing lane just to teach you a lesson.
And no, nobody passes on the outside. Even if you're about to exit and the rest of the lanes are moving slowly, you'll still slow down considerably and look a bit sheepish as you drift past the main highway traffic.
So the difference is between "left is a passing lane" and "no passing on the right". In other words, it could be the slow car in the left lane that is breaking the law because it is not passing, just staying there, or it is the other cars that pass on the right that are breaking the law. I am sure the police would rather have both -- ticket those hanging out in the left lane and those passing on the right. Win-win for state/local budget!
There is no law against "passing on the right", at least not if this means "passing someone in a left lane while you're in a legitimate lane to the right of that vehicle".
For example, in the state of NY:
Before you pass on the right on multilane roads such as expressways, make sure you check your mirrors, use the proper signals for lane change, and look over your right shoulder for other vehicles. After passing, be sure to check over your left shoulder, and to signal, before returning to the left lane.http://www.nydmv.state.ny.us/dmanual/chapter06-manual.htm
The thing that drives me nuts the most is slow people who stay in the left lane in the passing lanes that are sometimes put in on 2 lane highways (ie, 2 lanes going in the same direction for a time). Some states (Minnesota for sure) simply make a solid line to shunt drivers over to the right lane and it makes a huge difference, but around here (Wisconsin) they don't do that and inevitably I'll end up stuck driving 45 on a behind an old camper on a 2 lane highway because they refuse to keep right.
http://www.mit.edu/~jfc/right.html