You don’t need to exceed the speed limit. Move right when it’s safe and let faster traffic pass. Their speeding is still illegal.

“Fast lane” is an informal name for the leftmost regular traffic lane. Think of it as the passing lane: California’s DMV recommends using it to pass and moving right when someone behind you wants to travel faster. “Fast” describes your speed compared with other traffic; it doesn’t mean a specific speed. [California DMV lane guidance](https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/handbook/california-driver-handbook/navigating-the-roads/), [DMV guidance on traffic flow](https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/handbook/california-driver-handbook/laws-and-rules-of-the-road-cont1/)

On a freeway with a 65 mph limit, you can pass vehicles doing 55 at 65. If someone behind you wants to do 80, move right when a safe gap opens and keep doing 65. Wanting to pass gives neither driver permission to exceed the limit. CHP’s enforcement manual treats speeds above a freeway’s 65 or 70 mph maximum as speeding violations. [CHP Highway Enforcement Manual, pages 3-4 to 3-6](https://www.chp.ca.gov/siteassets/policy/hpm/hpm-100.68/hpm-100.68-ch-3_sanitized.pdf)

Driving at the maximum speed limit does not automatically mean you’re illegally obstructing faster drivers. CHP’s manual says vehicles traveling at the 55/65/70 mph maximum limits are “not in violation of Section 21654 CVC,” the slower-traffic keep-right provision. The DMV’s advice to let faster traffic pass is practical guidance, separate from that legal provision. [CHP manual, page 3-6](https://www.chp.ca.gov/siteassets/policy/hpm/hpm-100.68/hpm-100.68-ch-3_sanitized.pdf)

We can’t know exactly what the officer meant by honking. With a queue behind you, they may have been asking you to move over. The honk wasn’t necessarily a request to speed up.

Seeing drivers speed without being stopped doesn’t establish a higher legal limit. Ordinary speeding enforcement generally results in a ticket, so “I haven’t seen anyone arrested” tells you little about whether speeding is permitted.

Moving into the right lane was sensible. Keep a lawful, safe speed. Signal and check your blind spot before moving over when there’s room. You don’t have to accelerate to satisfy a tailgater. [DMV guidance on tailgaters](https://qr.dmv.ca.gov/portal/handbook/california-driver-handbook/safe-driving/)