Left lane use and passing rules for all vehicles is a topic that receives regular attention at statehouses around the country.
The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association and the National Motorists Association favor efforts to address left lane use. The groups say that blocking the left lane, whether intentional or not, results in reduced road safety and efficiency.
Idaho
Idaho is the lone state so far this year to take action on left lane use. The new law covers passing on two-lane highways around the state.
Idaho law has permitted passenger vehicles not towing any other vehicle to temporarily exceed the posted speed limit by up to 15 mph while passing another vehicle traveling below the posted speed. The pass is permitted only on roadways divided into two lanes of traffic with only one lane of traffic in each direction and where the posted speed is at least 55 mph.
Previously H205, the rule revision permits exceeding the posted speed when passing one or more vehicles traveling in the same direction while in a passing lane.
“When you’re on a two-lane road, there’s always somebody in front of you who is not going the speed limit. It happens all the time,” Sen. Doug Okuniewicz, R-Hayden, said on the Senate floor. “When you come up to a dedicated passing lane, as soon as they pull over to the right, you’ll be able to pass them up.”
However, Okuniewicz pointed out that all too often, the driver in front will pull into the right lane and accelerate above the posted speed limit to make passing nearly impossible.
He said the rule change “will allow you, in that situation, to accelerate up to 15 mph above the speed limit when there is a special passing lane to overtake a car that is front of you. Then you have to come right back down to the speed limit after you’re done.”
Driving up to 15 mph above the posted speed to pass another vehicle on the right will not be permitted within a passing lane area. Additionally, the passing provision does not apply on roadways with a posted speed limit below 55 mph or along any portion of roadway that is within an incorporated city.
The new rule takes effect July 1.
Louisiana
A bill halfway through the Louisiana Legislature would revise the state’s left lane rule.
State law prohibits travel in the left lane when driving at least 10 mph below the posted speed. Violators face minimum $100 fines and/or up to 30 days in jail.
In an effort to improve traffic flow, Sen. Jay Luneau, D-Alexandria, is behind a bill that would remove the 10-mph parameter. Instead, simply traveling below the posted speed while in the left lane would be a violation.
SB11 would also change the fine structure. First-time offenders would face a fine of $150. Repeat offenses within 12 months would result in a $250 fine.
A third offense within one year of the first violation would result in a $350 fine. Imprisonment up to 30 days would be an option only after a third offense within one year.
“Senate Bill 11 is a bill that deals with slower vehicle traffic in the left lane. Currently, you’re supposed to only use the left lane for passing. You travel in the right lane,” Luneau said on the Senate floor. “This bill doesn’t change that, but it does remove a 10-mph difference provision that makes it very hard for police officers to enforce it.”
Luneau added that he learned a lot about the issue from talks with the National Transportation Safety Board.
“This situation does present a lot of hazards. They have more wrecks from this type of activity, because people get road rage. So, it is a safety issue,” he said. “Also, in moving of commerce, they tell me how big a problem this is, because trucks get stuck behind people like this and it slows them down.”
The Senate voted 35-3 to advance the bill. SB11 has moved to the House Transportation, Highways and Public Works committee.
Missouri
In Missouri, a Senate bill on the move would amend the state’s left lane law.
Show-Me-State law requires drivers on highways with at least two lanes of travel in the same direction to remain in the right-hand lane. Exceptions to the rule include overtaking and passing another vehicle, yielding to another vehicle entering the roadway or preparing to make a legal left turn.
Additionally, trucks with a registered gross weight in excess of 48,000 pounds are singled out in a related law. Affected trucks traveling in the Kansas City or St. Louis area are prohibited from driving in the far-left lane of roadways with at least three lanes of traffic in the same direction.
The Senate Transportation, Infrastructure and Public Safety Committee voted unanimously to advance a bill that would create a minimum penalty for operating a vehicle in a passing lane when not passing or overtaking another vehicle.
SB162 would require the Missouri Department of Transportation to place signs along major highways that specify the minimum fines for improper use of passing lanes. Signage would read “Warning: Minimum $100/$500 fine for improper use of a passing lane.”
First-time offenders would receive a written warning. Subsequent violations would result in fines.
In addition, driver training programs in the state would be required to instruct new drivers on the legal use of passing lanes.
The bill awaits further consideration in the Senate.
Arizona, Florida and West Virginia bills die
The Arizona bill was intended to bring more attention to the state’s left-lane law. The legislation called for requiring the Arizona Department of Transportation to place advisory signs to keep right on two-lane portions of Interstates 8, 10 and 40.
In Florida, duplicate bills would forbid any vehicle from continuous operation in the far-left lane of roadways with a posted speed of at least 65 mph. Exceptions to the rule would be made for actions that include overtaking and passing another vehicle or preparing to turn left.
A West Virginia bill sought to revise statute to make clear it is a traffic violation to travel in the left lane on four-lane interstate highways at “such a slow speed as to impede or block the normal and reasonable movement of traffic.” Certain exceptions would apply. LL
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