Drivers Could Be Ticketed For Driving Slow In Left Lane (speeders out there- - get out of their way)

[The Straight Story]

Drivers Could Be Ticketed For Driving Slow In Left Lane
Drivers Split Down Middle About Proposed Legislation

ORLANDO, Fla. -- A state senator is sponsoring legislation that would ticket drivers for holding up traffic in the left lane.

Marion Player drives for a living and said there's nothing worse than slow drivers in the left lane.

"They need to move over to the slow lane and give the faster traffic a chance to get by," Player said

Tim Davis says it would be ridiculous to ticket drivers who are doing the speed limit just because they're in the left lane.

...

Critics said the bill is encouraging drivers to speed, but Senator Mike Bennett who is sponsoring the proposed legislation disagrees.

"It will not encourage speeders. It will tell people there are speeders out there- - get out of their way," Bennett said.

http://www.clickorlando.com/news/26795111/detail.html

[Luminous Animal]

1. That's right. Fine law abiding drivers for getting in the way of law breakers.

Next thing you know, people will be fined for not wearing protective clothing and getting injured if they are mugged.

Heh! There are criminals out there! If you don't protect yourself and become a victim, you get a ticket!

[A HERETIC I AM]

20. Here's a better idea;

Properly train Americans on how to use a multi-lane, limited access highway.

Because a huge percentage of drivers in this country clearly have no clue.

Until that happens however, I am all for ticketing people who REFUSE to move over to the right. Driving along like a piece of arterial plaque, clogging up the roadways of the country.

[lib2DaBone]

79. Bingo... ... you are correct...

Most drivers (except Commercial and Professional drivers) are unaware of the concept of "Continuous Lane of Travel".

You see.. once you get an 80,000 pound truck or bus rolling... you have to keep it rolling in a straight line with few zigs...zags... or use of the brakes. A load can shift... and large vehicles can NOT stop like a car . I have had a load shift and push me right thru the intersection (even with the brakes applied).

It's called "physics". A load in motion (once up to speed) tends to stay in motion.

People who drive 45 mph in the hammer lane and REFUSE to move over and make other drivers pass them on the right... are a danger to themselves and everyone around them.

PLEASE... Sunday drivers... move to right lane if you want to talk on your cell phone and sight see.

[snooper2]

104. Here's an even better idea, equip your car/truck with a train horn

:P

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nR5MihSXZsU

[fishwax]

50. but if not moving for faster cars violates the law, then those drivers aren't law abiding

:kick:

[polmaven]

69. I have to agree in some aspects

with the proposed law. I have had many long commutes in the past, and there is nothing worse than being in the passing lane behind a driver doing *below* the speed limit. Believe me, it happens regularly....'Course, that is in MA, where, I am convinced, the worst drivers in the country live.

[cleanhippie]

90. Uh, in most states, its an infraction to drive in the left lane unless you are passing.

Slow left lane drivers are also breaking the law.

[calimary]

125. It made me wonder about this Mike Bennett guy.

First thing I thought was - "ooooooohhhh somebody wants to bring more Big Government down upon us all - and into the fast lane now, too!" Then I thought - "gee, I wonder if this guy is a republi-CON?" You couldn't tell from the original article.

Guess what popped up when I googled him?

http://www.flsenate.gov/senators/s21

:rofl:

[DirkGently]

135. Lane discipline is the law in many states & a good idea. This law sounds poorly drafted, though.

[Bonobo]

2. The left line is called the "passing lane" for a good reason.

It is the lane designed for passing and the only way for doing so.

[The Straight Story]

3. Except....Example here in Ohio

If I want to go from the East side to the West side of town on 70 I have to be in the left lane near downtown (and well before it).

All other lanes are exit only to 71 north, downtown, 670. So in some cases (and have seen this in other cities) you need to be in the left lane just to get where you are going :)

[JCMach1]

40. +1, there are MANY left exits in cities... this law deserves a big, fat FAIL

[Tesha]

82. Left exits are always considered to be exceptions to these laws.

So are "continuous lines of traffic" (where all lanes
if the highway are ham-packed).

Tesha

[cleanhippie]

106. Certainly, there are particular stretches of the road that are the exception...

But the general rule for all roads is "Keep right except to pass". Period.

[TheManInTheMac]

132. Very familiar with what you're talking about.

Lived in Columbus for many years. And 315--fuggetaboutit!

[Luminous Animal]

5. No need to pass if the person in front of you is doing the speed limit... Unless, of course,

you are speeding.

And I say this as a chronic speeder (usually 10 MPH over limit but sometimes more)but I do recognize my law breaking and I've no ill will towards those who don't and thwart my progress by following the law.

[Bonobo]

6. By the same token, no need for the person travelling the same speed as the right lane

to stay in the left lane, impeding the progress of those that may have a real need (or perhaps only a desire that is not YOURS to judge).

In other words, why not just move to the right lane if you can. It will hurt no one.

Left lane is for passing.

[Luminous Animal]

7. There is no sign or regulation for CA freeways that the left lanes are reserved for passing.

On the contrary, all posted signs stipulate that the right lanes are for slower traffic (that is, vehicles who cannot keep up with the maximum speed limit... that is, trucks, cars towing trailers, and RVs. The issue at hand is a proposed ordinance that would ticket lawful drivers in order to accommodate those who are breaking the law.

[Codeine]

10. It's ticketing passive-aggressive douchenozzles

who take it upon themselves to enforce speed limits.

[Luminous Animal]

13. No. It is accommodating lawbreakers. If you are going to break the law, then you should accept the

risks.

[greyl]

26. What risk is your non sequitor about? Furthermore, unless one has had their speedometer calibrated

that day, and is absolutely certain that they are, in fact, constantly traveling at the maximum posted speed limit, the polite, efficient, social thing to do when someone is gaining in the rear view, is
move the fuck over. ;)

[PVnRT]

63. Why do you assume that?

I have been stuck behind people blocking both lanes, going five under the speed limit. I guess that makes me a "lawbreaker" for wanting to get around them?

That's the situation the law is really trying to address - people going much too slow in the passing lane, creating a safety hazard.

[MindPilot]

95. Not "accommodating lawbreakers"...

but adjusting the law to better fit how things actually work in the real world of getting from point A to B.

[JoeyT]

136. Uh huh.

Just because the person behind you doesn't have emergency lights doesn't mean there isn't a life and death situation. How do you know it isn't someone on the way to the hospital, or a firefighter or cop responding to an emergency call that aren't in their official vehicles yet? When I was VFD I got stuck behind morons in the left lane doing under the speed limit all the time when I was heading in for a call.

The left lane is there for a reason, and people that meander along in it should get a ticket, and it should be a big one.

[sendero]

77. Those..

... and drivers so oblivious they are a danger to themselves and others.

[cherokeeprogressive]

139. +10! ^5! Well said! n/t

[A HERETIC I AM]

11. Bollocks.

"all posted signs stipulate that the right lanes are for slower traffic (that is, vehicles who cannot keep up with the maximum speed limit... that is, trucks, cars towing trailers, and RVs."

The signs on the limited access highway system in California say "Slower Traffic Keep Right".

That means if there are vehicles traveling faster than you, then YOU are the slower traffic and you should therefore be in the right lane.

Of course California is among a handful of states that cling to an absurd disparate speed limit, with passenger cars allowed to drive 70 MPH on rural sections while trucks and vehicles pulling trailers are limited to 55.

This rule is inherently unsafe, stupid and forces tractor trailers to be rolling chicanes.

[Bonobo]

12. It is what is called a "no-brainer".

Why NOT get out of the left lane when you KNOW it is the only means of passing?

If you can answer that solitary question, I will consider my day to have been worthwhile.

[Luminous Animal]

23. Like I said, I always exceed the speed limit, that is I always break the law.

And I never hold up someone who is going faster than I am. But, I don't freak out when someone else does. Life is too short to worry about petty shit. In fact, my only irritation is when I have to follow the same car mile after mile. Though we both may be traveling 85-90 MPH, I am apt to hit 95-100 MPH in order to pass it.

So, to answer your DEMAND! I always get out of the way of drivers who are going faster than I. I don't freak out when others impede my speed.

[Bonobo]

27. Well, it sounds like you do fine then.

But many people do drive in the left lane with a complete disregard for the people that want to pass.

In fact, by doing so, they are endangering others because passing on the right is dangerous. Very dangerous.

So, in summation, getting the fuck out of the left lane when you don't need it to pass is practical, unproblematic, considerate and a part of civil, safe driving.

[Luminous Animal]

32. Following the speed limit is practical, unproblematic, considerate and a part of civil, safe driving

[Bonobo]

36. But not moving forces people to pass in the right lane and that is dangerous.

Also, people will always speed. And though it is dangerous to speed, it is not as dangerous to force speeders to pass in the right lane which is what the "civil, law-abiding" drivers you are referring to are doing by not moving over.

[JVS]

45. Nobody is forcing speeders to do anything. They choose the way they drive.

[Name removed]

46. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[JVS]

48. Consequence does not absolve them of responsibility.

[Bonobo]

53. I didn't say they had no responsibility.

Are YOU saying that drivers that stay in the left lane oblivious to people that want to pass have no responsibility when their actions encourage (or 'force' in the common parlance) a driver to use the only open lane for passing?

Seems quite the hypocritical sense of responsibility you've got there...

[last_texas_dem]

58. A-fucking-men...

FWIW, I speed pretty regularly. In doing so, I realize that I'm breaking the law. I also adapt to circumstances as needed and don't expect that other drivers will necessarily work to accommodate my illegal behavior.

What I don't understand are people who speed and think that those following the law need to accommodate the lawbreakers. For those who don't like having to deal with coming up dangerously fast on another car while speeding in the left lane, I have an easy solution: slow the fuck down!

[era veteran]

17. It's the law in Kentucky

Try dogging the left lane on the autobahn.
It is a simple courtesy.

[Bonobo]

21. In Europe, you would have a fiat stuck to your bumper in no time. nt

[Luminous Animal]

31. When driving for two months in Europe, I saw more highway road carnage than my

35 years of driving in the U.S. (And I drove Los Angeles traffic for 10 years.) Anecdotal, I know. But it was shocking.

[Bonobo]

34. Go check out Suffolk County, Long Island then.

Anecdotal and backed by data.

http://hubpages.com/hub/Suffolk-County-Vehicle-Injury-Accidents

[Roland99]

85. It's only the law in Kentucky in non-urban stretches of roadway.

In areas where it's 55mph, the law doesn't apply.

[era veteran]

109. Correct, the law

Common courtesy is not bound by law. I was taught that in drivers education in 1969, of course there is no funding for driver ed now hence the generations of rude dangerous drivers.
Driving every kind of rig thats ever been made on the autobahn for over three years taught me some great driving skills. Drivers permits are hard to get in Europe.

Why not keep right except to pass?

[Xithras]

41. Yep, California law explicitly says that on a multilane highway, all lanes are "traffic lanes"

The law was changed back in the 1970's because a number of enterprising CHP officers figured out that you could write a LOT of tickets during rush hour because the people in the left lane aren't "passing" anyone (or going anywhere for that matter). When challenged, the CHP defended the practice, claiming that nobody should be in that lane if they aren't passing.

So the state changed the law, formally removing the "passing lane" status from all roadways that aren't specifically marked as passing lanes. California law now merely requires that you yield to faster traffic.

Of course, CHP officers also won't ticket you for hanging out in the passing lane all day, if you're at the limit. Why not? Because there's ANOTHER law that prohibits prosecution of people who are acting in compliance with the law (duh). If you're travelling at the limit, you're obeying California law. Ticketing you for obeying the law, and not ceding the roadway to criminals, is itself a violation of the law.

When officers do occasionally ticket people for obstructing traffic, you simply need to cite the conflict law, and the ticket will get tossed by the judge. Always. I've never heard of the ticket sticking when challenged. Most of the time, when the police pull you over for obstructing traffic, it's because they suspect you of another crime, or are looking for a reason to pull you over. They know full well that an "obstructing traffic " ticket won't survive a challenge, but it still provides them with the legal cover they need to pull you over and give you a hard time.

[JVS]

43. That's a good point and a lot of highways are of such a nature that expecting...

the left lane to be a passing lane is unrealistic. Congested highways and areas where people need to be in the left lane in order to make their exits obviously can't be expected to have dedicated passing lanes.

[tblue37]

61. The highway's left lane is a dedicated passing lane in Kansas, I think. nt

[cleanhippie]

91. Wrong, there are signs everywhere that say "Keep right except to pass"!!!

[kentauros]

105. I think on Texas highways they say "Slower Traffic Keep Right"

but the message is the same. Plus, the message doesn't dictate what speed is "slower". If the overall traffic flow is going over the speed limit, then those driving the speed limit are now "slower traffic". Seems to me if a driver ignores these signs, then they are breaking the law, even as they drive the speed limit ;)

I'd like to see it enforced in Texas, too, but I won't hold my breath on that. They do everything they can here to encourage people to get driver's licenses, and only seem to pull over people for excessive speed.

[callous taoboy]

66. Bonobo, my sentiments, exactly. +1

I often get stuck in a group of cars in both lanes that are driving 5 miles per hour UNDER the sped limit. Very frustrating.

[Warren Stupidity]

65. I always wondered what you all were like in other venues.

Please try driving in Germany.

[JVS]

44. But it isn't always designed for passing.

Especially in cities, driving in the left lane is often necessary for people to make their exit or change onto another highway. At this point the lane is no longer a passing lane, it's a traffic lane.

[Bonobo]

47. Agreed, in those infrequent instances it is not a passing lane.

But we are not really talking about that, are we?

So you being a bit dishonest in your argument.

[JVS]

51. For most driving I'd say we are talking about that.

When I am on the highway in rural areas I keep right and use the left to pass. But I can't count the number of times that I've been in Chicago driving at least 10 above the speed limit and had cars blowing by me on the right. The reason I was in the left is that I knew I had to make take a left up ahead and I knew damned well that those fucking screwheads going by me at 85 wouldn't ever let me into the lane if I got out. At some point the speed limit needs enforced or the traffic flow cannot function.

[Make7]

4. A Meditation on the Speed Limit

 
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1121745508403211770
 

[Blecht]

8. It's all about safety

And it makes perfect sense.

It's not just speed that makes driving dangerous, it's having cars close together. Driving in the left lane when you are not passing (or getting ready to exit to the left) is plain dangerous, because it causes congestion. It is better to let the speeders through. The best situation would be if nobody sped, but that isn't the reality.

What is it about "Keep right except to pass" that is so hard to understand? All this law is about is enforcing something that is already in place.

[wickerwoman]

57. This is the correct answer.

Defensive driving is about putting distance between you and other cars so you have time to respond to a crisis not about everyone staying below an arbitrary number of mph. If you are driving the speed limit right next to another car going the exact same speed, you are driving dangerously. What if the other car needs to change lanes and doesn't see you? What if that driver falls asleep? What if the person behind you has a woman in labor in the car and needs to get past?

I use the left lane to pass and only to pass because it gets me further away from the other cars both behind and to the side. And I go over the speed limit to get away from them as quickly as possible. And in eighteen years of driving I've never been even close to getting into an accident doing it.

[Codeine]

9. One reason I love driving in California

is that NOBODY tries to pull shit like driving slow in the fast lane here. People understand what different lanes are for.

[Bonobo]

14. In my limited experience, the very WORST are Connecticut drivers on I-91..

If you have ever driven on I-91 in Massachusetts or Connecticut or NY, you will see an amazing correlation between assholes "parked" in the left lane and Connecticut license plates.

[JerseygirlCT]

119. Our highways tend to move fast

when the pokes aren't an issue. Traffic flows along nicely at 80 mph in the left lane - slower to the right.

There are too many left lane exits and entrances, though. (Through Hartford, they've even got the entrances BEFORE the exits. Major failure of road design there.) So people get in the passing lane and ... snore. And there you go - instant traffic jam.

[A HERETIC I AM]

15. Now THAT'S a laugh.

"NOBODY" pulls shit like that in California, eh?

LOL...oh yes they do. Drivers do it in every state and CA is no different.

You live in Riverside and you honestly think that? Have you never driven on the 405? The 15? Any LA Basin freeway with more than 2 lanes each way?

[Codeine]

116. I drive the 91 and 10 freeways just about daily,

and regularly drive the 57, 210, 134, and 101. Assuming it's not bumper-to-bumper rush-hour traffic I've never experienced anyone going the speed limit in the fast lane. At 85 or so I'm usually the slowpoke, and I move over whenever I see a car moving up behind me. Maybe I've just been lucky.

Now of course all bets are off in heavy traffic, but that's not passive aggression, that's just gridlock.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

100. Not anywhere that I go...

They are as bad here as they are anywhere else in the country

[Kokonoe]

16. Here is a few more ideas for Mr. Bennett.

1. Fine people who do not see or go when the light changes to green

2. Or fine those who do not use a turn signal, when I want to pull out in front of them.

3. Fine someone that stops in too much intersection lane, when I want to squeeze around.

4. Or that endlessly slow down before turning right causing me to hit my brake instead of the gas.

This could be a revenue source. :D

[Duer 157099]

18. Right. So the very people who want to drive the speed limit

and drive safely must now be forced into the slow lane which absolutely necessitates frequent lane changes into the left lane when merging traffic enters the freeway or when slow trucks are encountered.

I feel much safer just staying in ONE lane rather than weaving back and forth.

[Bonobo]

22. OMG, the ONE time you have to merge when your exit approaches!!

"Weaving"??? Why on Earth would it necessitate "weaving"?

Do you always exaggerate wildly to make a point?

[A HERETIC I AM]

25. Then learn to properly operate your automobile.

"must now be forced into the slow lane which absolutely necessitates frequent lane changes into the left lane when merging traffic enters the freeway or when slow trucks are encountered.

I feel much safer just staying in ONE lane rather than weaving back and forth."

Awww...poor thing. Don't like having to change lanes, eh? You know, there is a reason the lines between lanes are not solid.

SO YOU CAN CHANGE LANES!

You have almost perfectly illustrated what is wrong with so many American drivers. They can't drive.

[alphafemale]

60. Bingo. And I'd like to see a $1000 fine/ mandatory driving classes for stopping on an on ramp.

One of the most dangerous things in the world is a horrible driver in a full stop at the bottom of an on ramp.

[kentauros]

108. I have come to the conclusion in recent years that much of the bad driving

is due not to an inability to drive, but a deep fear of driving.

Watch some of these drivers that are going slow and how they look. You can tell pretty quickly that they don't like being on the road at all, yet seem to think they must get on the freeways in order to get around. And then they drive under the speed limit, in any lane they fancy, as if all lanes are exactly the same with the same dynamics associated. That is certainly a lack of education, driving skill and so on. But I do think being afraid to drive and drive well is at the heart of much of the bad driving out there...

[Codeine]

124. You're completely correct.

There's very little driver's education now, and the driving tests are quite frankly a joke. I'd like to see much more stringent regulation and training of prospective drivers.

[kentauros]

130. Where I work, they're big on safety,

and have been trying to get more people to report "near hits". Most of those have to do with driving, though they do want other unsafe condition incidents. I've been arguing with a couple of my co-workers about why I haven't had any near hits or that they are so rare that I don't have anything to report in the last few months. One of them still doesn't believe me, no matter how much I emphasize that what she defines as a "near hit" is to me just everyday driving with regards to avoiding the idiots out there.

What I have done is try to get some feedback on this clip from Top Gear on how good the Fins are with their driving and driver's education. So far, email (and arguments) have been deathly silent. I only wish driver's education was as good as the Fins at the very least! (3 years and skid track / emergency training.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fy8LJx71_9o

[Warren Stupidity]

64. If you are unsure of your ability to change lanes

please get somebody else to drive for you as you are a danger to yourself and others on the road.

[Codeine]

123. If you're afraid to change lanes you shouldn't be driving.

A properly-conducted lane change holds no danger. You can do it. I have faith.

[krispos42]

19. Good

Widely varying speeds make the road more dangerous, especially when a line of cars traveling at a certain speed come up on a car moving slower. Despite the smug moral superiority of the slower car, the fact is that now a line of cars of varying heights (and thus lines-of-sight) now has to suddenly slow down and/or bypass the slower car, either of which increase the danger.

I've been in situations on a fairly regular basis since moving back to the traffic HELL that is Connecticut where, in briskly-moving but crowded interstate traffic, all of a sudden you're forced to jam on your brakes for no apparent reason. It may only be for a couple of seconds, but it's scary, and I've had cars behind me lock tires and skid off into the breakdown lane. And as you resume your cruising speed, you see NOTHING that explains it. No broken-down cars, no accidents, no potholes, no speed traps, nada zero zip zilch.

The cause? Well, somebody ahead was forced to slow suddenly. Perhaps miles ahead and minutes ago, and perhaps for nothing more than accommodating a serial lane-changer. This chain-reacts throughout all of the cars behind him, with the cluster of cars hitting their brakes actually moving backwards down the interstate. And because the traffic pattern is so dense, there isn't enough of a gap in the flow of cars to let the cluster of braking cars peter out.


The speed limits need to be raised, and the minimum speed limits should be no more than 10 MPH lower than the maximum speed limits. No more of this "Maximum Speed 70 Minimum 40" bullshit, either. If you can't handle 60mph on a road in good weather, take the damn side streets.

[Bonobo]

24. BTW, I unrecced this interesting OP simply because it doesn't rise to the Greatest level.

No offense.

[virginia mountainman]

28. As a professional driver...

Whom has not had a moving violation for WELL OVER A DECADE...

Let me state, that from my bucket seat, and hundreds of THOUSANDS of miles driving the highways and byways of this great land, ( I drove almost 900 miles yesterday alone) I can assure you that MANY accidents are caused by people that hog the left lane, at or just below the speed limit.

People get behind them, get utterly frustrated that someone is "choosing" to block the passing lane, and start acting impulsively, and start jerking their steering wheels, trying to quickly pass them in the slow lane, and loosing control and crashing in the process.

Yes, they are in the wrong, for loosing their cool. But fact remains they would not have lost it in the first place had not someone taken it upon themselves to break the law, and "ride side by side" with another person for mile after mile.

Virginia law is plain on this matter.... The left lane is for PASSING ... YOU MUST GIVE WAY TO FAST TRAFFIC, IT DOES NOT MATTER WHAT THE SPEED LIMIT IS, OR IF THEY ARE SPEEDING... YOU MUST MOVE OVER...

Here is the law..

46.2-842.1. Drivers to give way to certain overtaking vehicles on divided highways.

It shall be unlawful to fail to give way to overtaking traffic when driving a motor vehicle to the left and abreast of another motor vehicle on a divided highway. On audible or light signal, the driver of the overtaken vehicle shall move to the right to allow the overtaking vehicle to pass as soon as the overtaken vehicle can safely do so. A violation of this section shall not be construed as negligence per se in any civil action.

(1989, c. 708, § 46.1-211.1.)

A newspaper article, with input from the State Police..

http://www.fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2006/022006/02092006/166829

Don't give me the BS about "I'm going the speed limit" Good for you! But that does not give you the right to impede the normal flow of traffic.

[Dappleganger]

30. Great post--this is how I was taught.

And this former Virginian (born and raised!) *hates* how FL and out of state drivers cause problems by taking over the left lane so that passers cannot get by.

[Bonobo]

37. Thanks. I have been saying the same thing over and over.

Common sense being not so common, it has been of little avail though.

[Hippo_Tron]

49. Sounds like another excuse to raise revenue for the state via tickets

[cherokeeprogressive]

140. Don't do the crime if... you know the rest.

[PVnRT]

67. +1

[tammywammy]

92. I'm in Texas and that's what I was taught many many years ago

Plus, in Texas you can already get a ticket for impeding the flow of traffic.

[cynatnite]

102. Very true. n/t

[Innoma]

111. +1

[frylock]

117. yep..

it's common fucking sense, which seems all too short these days.

[JerseygirlCT]

120. +1

[Dappleganger]

29. It's about damn time.

The drivers in the left lane should leave it open for passers, period. I live here and this is a huge problem on I-95.

[napi21]

33. Believe it or not, my husband was pulled over for driving too slow in the right lane.

We were both born & raised in Pgh. Pa. and hadn't been back there for years. We landed at the airport after 10PM and by the time we got near the motel we were going to stay at it was nearly 1 AM. WE were going slow (there was NO other traffic) because we were looking at the many changes that happened since we lived there. I was freaked when FOUR police cars pulled us off the road! What in the world had we done??? We didn't get a ticket, but it was a scary deal!

[virginia mountainman]

35. They thought you where drunk!

Drunks sometime creep along, super carefully..

[napi21]

39. Maybe so, but FOUR POLICE CARS? Doesn't that seem a bit excessive?

Neither of us had had even a drink on the plane so that was not a problem. I found their ate (you're guilty of SOMETHING) quite offensive. Our best frid=end in Pgh was a cop, and I guess he made us feel a bit better when he laughed and said "I never thought any friend of mine would be stopped for driving too slow!" I think about it now it's funny.

[proud2BlibKansan]

38. Good

Slow driving in the left lane is dangerous.

[Xithras]

42. If Mr. Player was really worried about safety, he'd be advocating for speed cameras.

Slow everyone down, and people driving in the left lane becomes a non-issue. Speed cameras accomplish that.

[fishwax]

98. there are plenty of people who drive in the left lane at speeds below the speed limit, though

So even if everyone obeyed the speed limit, people driving in the left lane wouldn't become a non-issue.

[Codeine]

126. Why slow everyone down?

I'm not convinced that speed is the issue, so much as the conflict between different speeds. There's already a safe way to handle that -- slow traffic stays right.

[Xithras]

128. Because encouraging people to break the law is never an acceptable solution.

Slow traffic stays right. But if you're travelling at the speed limit, the fastest speed a vehicle can legally travel on our roadways, you are NOT "slow traffic" by any legal definition. Telling people obeying the law to yield to speeders, therefore, is encouraging the support of criminal behavior.

There are only two acceptable solutions to this problem.

1. Slow everyone down.

2. Raise speed limits.

Punishing law abiding citizens for impeding lawbreakers is NOT an acceptable solution, and shouldn't be to anyone who has even the slightest respect for the rule of law.

For the record, I'm fine with either one of those options.

[Prometheus Bound]

52. Excellent idea.

The US is the only country I've noticed that problem on a large scale. I could never figure out what those people were thinking when they block the passing lane for miles.

[coyote]

54. I think this is a fantastic law.

I bet there are more road rage incidents caused by slow left drivers than anything else. People will get frustrated and then take dangerous chances in passing the car....either passing the car to the person's right, driving in a breakdown lane, tailgating the person....and although it may technically not be illegal for the slow driver to be in the left, this person is directly increasing the risk for all the drivers around them. It's called courtesy and the left lane should be reserved for passing. In Europe you see none of the road rage incidents as you do in the US and I believe it's simply do do a more organized driving style (left lane is for passing only).

[ReggieVeggie]

59. +1

The left lane is for passing. People speed, that's the way it is. Get out of the left lane if you don't want to speed.

[LooseWilly]

55. Good. Take money off the sanctimonious bastards.

Get them out of the way, and I won't have to keep cutting off all the poor bastards trying to mind their own business in the right lanes to get around them.

In the meantime, sanctimonious assholery is contagious...

[killbotfactory]

56. My wife was ticketed for speeding AND impeding traffic

For driving in the left lane. Someone came up behind her in the left lane, and she couldn't merge right safely because a vehicle was blocking her. Turns out the car behind her was a cop. The judge asked if the cop had even read what he ticketed her for.

Apparently it's a crime to drive in Utah with racy bumper stickers if you annoy a bored cop.

[MadHound]

62. Another one of the "judgement laws" that allows the LEO to decide whether or not,

You will be the one contributing to the state government revenue pool. Nah, this one won't get abused:eyes:

[PVnRT]

68. How is it a "judgment law"?

I'd say it's pretty obvious if you see someone getting passed consistently on the right, or see cars slowing down quickly in the left lane behind someone, or see a long line of cars in the left lane. Or are you one of those people who thinks it's your "duty" to make everyone else go the speed limit?

[MadHound]

70. First of all, why do you assume that somebody who disagrees with your POV,

Belongs in a category of people that you despise? People can disagree with this law without being "one of those people who thinks it's your "duty" to make everyone else go the speed limit." But you have to toss out that ad hominem out there to insult people and win the debate through intimidation rather than on facts. Poor form, very poor form. Next time make your point and leave out the insulting speculation.

But to answer your question, it is a judgment law because it leaves the interpretation of it up to the LEO. Sure, there are going to be plenty of obvious cases, but I can also see cases where this law can be abused in favor of raising revenue.

[boston bean]

71. If you are not passing someone get the hell out of the passing lane!

nothing gets on my nerves more than a lollygagger in the left passing lane. They are the cause of many accidents as people have to pass them on the right. They are a major cause of accidents.

[Lard]

72. YAY!!!! The idiots get their just due.

Read your driver's manual. It plainly states, "slower traffic should move to the right-hand lane."

[TBF]

73. Orlando's newest idea for revenue - they already sit on hotel ramps

waiting for cars with out-of-state tags to come out so they can ticket them. Now they will ticket them for both going too fast and too slow.

[SidDithers]

Good...nt

Sid

[sendero]

74. I'm pretty sure ..

...that is already the law in Tx. If you don't want to drive the speed limit, get the @#$%^@#$ out of the left lane.

[HughBeaumont]

75. Great. Ohio needs a road-clogger law.

Sons of bitches. 90 isn't multi-lane near the west and asshat after asshat will clog that shit like there's no tomorrow. Literally.

"I do a hundred on the highway,
So if you do the speed limit get the FUCK outta my way!!"

[Roland99]

84. Esp. in those areas of left-lane exits down in Cinti

[NotThisTime]

76. Been like that for years here...

[WolverineDG]

78. as long as they ticket tail-gaters in the slow lane

can't tell you how much *that* pisses me off. I'm in the slow lane *for a reason* (nursing an old car along until I can afford a new one), yet the lead-footers insist on hogging the right-hand lane too, even though the left lane is free & clear. :grr:

dg

[HughBeaumont]

80. Aren't cars on their last legs great?

261,000 miles. At this point, it can't go over 70 without shuddering. I used to be able to do 85-95 in that thing and not bat an eyelash.

"Why don't you get a new car?" HEY, spot me the 17 grand I need for even a new used one and we'll talk. We just GOT a new Prius before we were financially ready to (thanks to stupid mechanics messing up a clutch repair that led to a blown transmission on her current car), so . . . . no.

[WolverineDG]

93. I can't tell you the number of times I've almost come to a complete stop

because the fuck head behind me doesn't know how to use his damn steering wheel. If I'm in the right lane, GO AROUND, IDIOT! :banghead: :nuke: :grr: The more they flash their lights, etc, to get me to move over ONTO THE SHOULDER when they can just as easily use the left-hand lane to pass (which is what it's there for to begin with), the slower I go.

My car has got 120K on it, still doing ok, but I'm not taking chances with it. Good luck hanging on to your car until you can get a new(er) one!

dg

[Mariana]

138. I gotta say, that's a weirdness I've seen a lot in Texas.

snd nowhere else. I mean seeing people move over onto the shoulder to let someone in the RIGHT lane pass them. No wonder faster drivers come to expect it, because people do it all the time! Maybe the whole "slower drivers should keep right" concept is hammered a little too hard in the driver's ed courses here.

[WolverineDG]

143. If it's a 2 lane highway, that's what you do

(and yes, I do move over for faster traffic when on a 2-lane highway) but I'm talking about it happening to me on multi-lane highways where the faster driver can move over into another lane. It's obvious to me that a lot of faster drivers don't know how to use their steering wheels.

dg

[JerseygirlCT]

122. I'm all for that, too

Leave the slow lane for the slow drivers. But don't even think about getting in the left lane, unless you intend to travel faster than the lane to your right. Period.

[Odin2005]

81. So the pigs can pull you over for OBEYING THE LAW?

Fuck them and their extortion racket!

[fishwax]

101. no, they can pull you over for violating the law against impeding traffic in the left lane

[Odin2005]

115. If the person is going the speed limit they are not "impeding" anything.

[fishwax]

133. they are if there are other cars going faster coming up behind them

Besides, not all people in the left lane are going the speed limit.

[Roland99]

83. SWEET! People here in Orlando are especially bad at sitting in the left lane

Even on the new four-lane section of the FL Turnpike from the 429 down to I-4. Four lanes wide and cars dispersed about in every lane driving 5-10 mph under the limit. It's like a freaking game of Frogger every morning on the way into work.

[RT Atlanta]

86. KEEP RIGHT, EXCEPT TO PASS

Used to posted on many highways.

This one bill I would support.

[JerseygirlCT]

121. Seems far too few people understand that

I'm with you.

[Vickers]

87. GOOD! Fuck all of these freaking 15-under-the-limit assclowns in this fucked-up state. n/t

[msanthrope]

88. Move right, bastards....

The worst is the Garden State in NJ--two lanes, and ALWAYS clogged by the fuckers who won't get out of the left lane...

[WolverineDG]

94. Move left, assholes

if someone is already IN the slow lane, don't tail gate.

dg

[last_texas_dem]

114. +1!

[pipi_k]

89. It's not about speeding

It's about doing at least the speed limit. The article DID say that drivers would be ticketed for driving SLOW in the left lane.

The left lane is for passing. If someone is going slower than the speed limit and someone else wants to pass, it's not possible unless the person passes on the right.

There's more chance for accidents to happen.


When I drive I always stay in the right lane because I tend to go slower than everyone else. If it's a narrow road and someone behind me is getting itchy, I usually pull over a bit to let the person by, and I very rarely pass anyone else.

[RamboLiberal]

96. Yay - One of my pet peeves

It's the law in PA that except in urban areas you are not to use the left lane unless passing. But I swear a ton of drivers don't have a clue. I hate the idiots who have the cruise control on in the left lane and travel adjacent to someone in the right lane leaving traffic piling up behind them.

And they also don't have a clue if you flash your headlights at them to move the hell over. I wish cops would ticket these jerks as much as they ticket the speeders.

[Catbird]

97. Google Nestoring . . .

If you want to wallow in discussions on this topic.

[sufrommich]

99. I would love to see this bill come to Michigan. There is

nothing more annoying than slow drivers in the passing lane.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

103. What is worse is that they then try to block you when you lane split

I ride a MC almost daily here in SoCal. In California, lane splitting is allowed. When things get backed up, I will filter forward somewhat faster than the traffic. It is all legal. Then there is the person who is offended and tries to cut you off. Its normally quite blatant.

[Codeine]

127. Asses.

"If I can't move then you can't either." :eyes:

Don't all those side mirrors just inches away make you nervous, though? I cringe at how close some lanesplitters get to those things.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

129. When I know I am going to be in rush hour traffic, I ride a narrow motorcycle

I fold my mirrors in if its getting real tight. I have larger bikes that I just don't lane split on.

Its the extended mirrors on trucks or people who haul trailers that are the real problem. They reach out much further than stock mirrors. If a butthole try to cut me off, I can generally find a hole and get around them. The trash/pull off area on most CA Instates will do in a pinch.

[spin]

107. Be aware that many Floridians have loaded firearms in their vehicles ...

It is lawful to possess a concealed firearm for self-defense or other lawful purposes within the interior of a private conveyance, without a license, if the firearm is securely encased or is otherwise not readily accessible for immediate use.

A firearm other than a handgun may be carried anywhere in a private conveyance when such firearm is being carried for a lawful use.
http://crime.about.com/od/gunlawsbystate/p/gunlaws_fl.htm

The most important exception to the crime of carrying a concealed firearm or carrying a concealed weapon occurs when you are in a private vehicle, so long as you are 18 years of age, or older. In that case Florida law usually allows the weapon or firearm to be legally kept ‘securely encased" in the vehicle, although there are some exceptions. The simplest and most common definition of "securely encased" means it is in a holster or gun rug that is snapped, zipped, or strapped, or in a box or container with a closed lid or top so that the lid or top must be physically opened in order to use or fire the weapon. Securely encased would also allow the firearm or weapon to be placed inside a closed glove compartment or closed console of a vehicle. The firearm may be fully loaded at the time, however, it cannot be concealed on your person unless you also have a CWP.
http://www.floridafirearmslaw.com/Carrying-Concealed-Firearm-Concealed-Weapon.html

Being an asshole by hogging the passing lane and impeding the traffic flow MIGHT be fun to some but it CAN lead to road rage.

Personally I hope this law passes. The freeway has plenty of signs that direct slower traffic to stay in the right lanes. I seriously believe that the people who ignore this law cause more accidents than speeders who drive at 10 to 15 mph above the limit.

[Roland99]

110. AND...has *anyone* ever thought about *this*????

Ever been driving down the interstate and see that "Keep Right Except To Pass" or "Slower Traffic Keep Right" sign?

Sure, we all have.

But, have you noticed that almost all of them are placed on the RIGHT-HAND side of the road and not the LEFT-HAND side of the road where they might have more of an effect???

[MindPilot]

113. You're right! I had never thought of that.

I did notice last time I was in South Florida they have signs that say something like "Move inoperable vehicles to the the shoulder". Is that a big problem, people crashing or breaking down and just walking away?

[Taverner]

112. Good. That's one of the few good things about Missouri

Speed max and speed minimum

[JerseygirlCT]

118. All for it!

Drives me absolutely crazy. They are a traffic jam in the making, every time.

Unfortunately in CT, the idiots who designed the highways had a thing for left exits and entrances - encouraging the pokes to get in the left lane and force traffic to a crawl.

And yes, if you're not passing, you shouldn't be there. That means you, minivan mom doing 50 in the left lane and feeling very sanctimonious.

[Angry Dragon]

131. Just move to Georgia where you will not need a license

[flvegan]

134. I love the idea.

[Awsi Dooger]

137. Only a world class idiot would recommend this

I drive cross country multiple times per year. Fast aggressive drivers are the scum of the planet, causing problems and accidents and fatalities galore. Only simpletons believe otherwise. I'm being far too kind.

[A HERETIC I AM]

141. Highway signs we'd like to see;

[Kaleva]

142. My step-daughter was recently pulled over for driving the speed limit in the passing lane.

She got a warning for that but was ticketed for not having proof off insurance in the vehicle.

[COLGATE4]

144. We should have the same law as in Germany - keep right except to pass.

That would free up the middle and left lanes to keep a reasonble flow of traffic.

[JerseygirlCT]

145. That IS often the law

Just entirely ignored.