Which lane do you use??

As Crystal and I were driving to Dixon this weekend, we got stuck in some traffic (this being the Bay area and all...). It got us talking about which lanes we prefer to make our way through a traffic jam the fastest. One idea we had is that the left lane is the fastest, due to the natural mentality of drivers that the left lane is for passing. Another thought is that the right lane moves traffic faster through jams due to exits allowing traffic to flow. Do you "surf" lanes and switch back and forth to keep up with each lanes' progress, or commit to one lane long term?

There must be literally hundreds of factors that cause and affect traffic flows and patterns (weather, construction, road conditions, time of day, holidays, number of lanes, speed limits, lane mergers, etc), but I wonder what the most influential are. If we knew the most influential factors in traffic patterns, could we successfully assess which lanes would move fastest through a jam by focusing on the significant factors??

I personally prefer to stick to the left-most lane as a general rule, but will change lanes to catch any unexpected progress in the nearby lanes. How do you choose a lane in traffic jams? What are the most important factors? Comment below and share your thoughts. Also, take some time to vote on the poll to the right...