Left lane use and passing rules for all vehicles are an annual topic at statehouses. So far this year, legislators in two states have acted to address concerns about slower traffic in the left lane of certain highways.
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 was the first state this year to act to address left lane use. A new law covers passing on two-lane highways around the state.
Statute has permitted passenger vehicles not towing any other vehicle to temporarily exceed the posted speed limit by up to 15 mph to pass 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.
A rule revision signed into law this spring permits exceeding the posted speed when passing one or more vehicles traveling in the same direction while in a passing lane. The new rule takes effect July 1.
“When you’re on a two-lane road, there’s always somebody in front of you who is not going the speed limit,” 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 said it is not that simple. He added 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 left lane 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 in 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.
Louisiana
A Louisiana bill headed to the governor’s desk 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.
Sen. Jay Luneau, D-Alexandria, and Rep. Jason DeWitt, R-Alexandria, are behind a bill that is intended to improve traffic flow.
SB11 would remove the 10 mph parameter. Instead, simply traveling below the posted speed while in the left lane would be a violation.
The fine structure would also be changed. 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 after a third offense within one year.
DeWitt said on the House floor that the bill deals with slower vehicle traffic in the left lane.
“(SB11) simplifies a process and makes it easier for law enforcement to enforce the true intent of the law: stop the bottlenecking that the drivers create,” DeWitt said.
Luneau said during Senate floor discussion on the bill that the National Transportation Safety Board has indicated that the rule change would also assist commerce.
“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.” LL
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