"I know that in Oregon the law states that you must drive in the left lane except when passing"
I'm thinking you meant to type right lane?
Yes, you got me on the typo.
During the hours of 7 AM - 9 AM and 4 PM - 6 PM traffic on I 84 in the Boise area typically is bumper to bumper in both lanes, or all three lanes, or all four lanes, depending on which area of the highway you are on. The situation has been thus for over thirty years.
Attempting to push that traffic flow into fewer lanes would be a disaster. Some areas actually have signs requesting "thru traffic use right lane" to free up the left for entrances and exits.
We also have exit ramps off the left side of the free way. I had assumed that was the norm for the nation. Perhaps I was mistaken.
I was passed on the right yesterday coming home from work. I, and the car in front of me were traveling eighty in a seventy five. Were in the left lane with about two car lengths between us, just passing a semi doing the truck limit of 65.
The front car was just even with the back bumper of the semi when some guy doing 90+ comes flying up in the right lane and slid in between me and the front car with less than ten feet clearance on each end.
In Idaho it's not the guy traveling at the speed limit, and with traffic flow in the left that causes accidents. It is the idiots pushing the limits who cause accidents.
Clogged "freeways" aren't really relevant to higher speed limit questions as most of the time when they get clogged speed limits are hardly reachable. I've been on a lot of 65mph fwys and never gotten above 40 and that was when traffic is really moving. Perhaps that's why I try to avoid clogged fwys. I get to leave to go back up to E WA tonight from down here around Sacto, CA. Not leaving until after traffic dies down, around 8 or 9 probably. That way whichever route I choose, East on I 80 to Winnemucca, the N through E OR and up to Lewiston on 95, or head N on the 5 to Weed, K Falls, Biggs, then E to where I work I won't have to deal with crowded roads.
"We also have exit ramps off the left side of the free way. I had assumed that was the norm for the nation. Perhaps I was mistaken." That's one of the worst engineering designs ever created. Not sure if it's the norm, but I've seen it enough. Not so bad when it's a FWY split, horrible if it's an exit to a surface street and traffic backs up trying to get off.
"I, and the car in front of me were
traveling eighty in a seventy five. Were in the left lane
with about two car lengths between us, just passing a semi doing the truck limit of 65."
Please, if I'm in front of you at 80, leave me a bit more than 2 car lengths. that's a few car lengths less than recommended, even with the better brakes cars have nowadays. Of course, I probably won't be going 80 and will be a lane or two over so hopefully we never meet that way.
Stay safe out there on that 84 in Boise. Probably not as bad as the 805/5 split in San Diego, or the 405/5 split in Orange County, Or the "spaghetti bowl" in LA, but from the sounds of it you don't have an easy commute.
