no way, keep npc's on lanes. keeps you awake, and great for some fun target practice, especially if you are bored. I generally rp shooting them, and I do think lawfulls like to help traders shooting npcs on lanes too. I know I certainly do.
Is something different, its not a pain either. And the one who said you got dropped out of lanes every system on your route, you was likely playing when npc count is up, when there's a low number of players.