Not 1.5 feet, more like 3 feet. The line on the road around here can be anywhere from a 8 inches to 4 feet from the edge of useable pavement. And it isn't a hard and fast rule either. If I'm going near the speed limit or above, I'll take the full lane. If I'm coming to an intersection, I'll take the lane. Hugging the line around here is a bad idea because there won't be enough space on the right to react to road hazards.