^^^
FWIW, the problem w/staying in the right lane on I-5 going say 69 mph is that you do come up on lots of slow traffic including big rigs and have to often change lanes, otherwise you end up stuck behind slow traffic.
And, another problem in staying in the right lane is increased risk for punctured tires due to road hazards/debris (
http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.p ... 65#p244465" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;). Prior to Tony's post, I personally had either a tire failure (that tire was the oldest and most worn on my car) or damage due to a road hazard (unclear which) coming back on I-5 from Vegas. I wasn't driving at the moment it happened. My mom was as she helped w/some of the driving. She doesn't like driving "fast" in general and stayed in the right lane most of the time.
All I know is that there was a a couple noises and then I noticed the TPMS light came on shortly afterward. After pulling over and trying to inflate the tire w/a the pump, there was way too large a hole for the pump to keep up with.
Had to limp along on the donut spare at 50 mph max for ~150 miles (part of it on I-5, part on 152 and a bit on 101).
As for gas station stop, Prius makes it from SJ to LA on a tank, no problem. One has to stop every now and then to eat, use the bathroom, rest, etc. anyway. Many of those areas to stop have gas stations.