Bills in five states pursue left lane changes

Work continues at statehouses to address left lane use.

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association and the National Motorists Association say that blocking the left lane, whether intentional or not, results in reduced road safety and efficiency.

Oklahoma

One Oklahoma Senate bill focuses on truck travel in the far left lane.

Statute already limits left lane use on highways with at least two lanes of traffic in the same direction. Drivers are required to stay to the right unless passing or preparing to turn left or for safety measures.

Sponsored by Sen. Joe Newhouse, R-Tulsa, the bill would add a provision to prohibit large trucks from left lane use on highways with at least three lanes of traffic in the same direction. The restriction would apply to vehicles with a gross weight rating of at least 10,000 pounds.

The bill, SB1070, awaits assignment to committee for the regular session that begins Feb. 6.

OOIDA opposition

The Association says that truck drivers are first-hand observers of the negative consequences of misguided traffic laws, and, while perhaps not intended, restricting trucks from certain lanes poses serious challenges for truckers and jeopardizes the safety of the traveling public.

Virginia

A Virginia House bill further singles out large trucks in the left lane.

State law already prohibits trucks from travel in the left lane of any interstate highway with more than two lanes where the posted speed limit is at least 65 mph. The restriction also applies to travel in the left-most lane on any interstate highway with more than two lanes within the Eighth Planning District and along Interstate 81 regardless of speed limit.

Additionally, commercial vehicles are required to travel in the right-most lane when operating at a speed at least 15 mph below the posted speed limit on any interstate highway with no more than two lanes in one direction. Certain exceptions apply.

Sponsored by Delegate Clinton Jenkins, D-Suffolk, the bill would expand the restriction to include interstate highways where the posted speed limit is at least 55 mph. The bill, HB1535, is in a House subcommittee.

West Virginia

Left lane use for all travelers is the topic of a West Virginia House bill.

State law specifies that vehicles stay to the right except to overtake and pass another vehicle in the same direction.

Delegate Steve Westfall, R-Jackson, is behind a bill to go one step further and prohibit vehicles from driving slowly in the far left-hand lane. Specifically, drivers would be prohibited from traveling slow in the far left-hand lane of a roadway or interstate for more than 1.5 miles without completing a passing maneuver of another vehicle.

First-time offenders would face fines up to $100. Subsequent violations would result in escalating fine amounts. Certain exceptions would apply.

The House Technology and Infrastructure Committee voted 14-9 on Jan. 17 to advance HB2222 to the full House. The bill first must go to the House Judiciary Committee.

Florida

Since 2014, Florida law prohibits travelers from driving too slow in the left lane of a multilane highway if they “reasonably should know” they are begin overtaken by another vehicle. Drivers traveling the speed limit also are required to yield to vehicles exceeding the posted speed limit.

Violators face $161 fines. Florida-licensed drivers also face up to three points being added to their license.

A House bill would revise the state’s left lane rule.

Sponsored by Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulicka, R-Fort Myers, the bill would forbid any vehicle from continuous operation in the far left-hand lane of roadways posted at least 65 mph unless overtaking and passing another vehicle, or preparing to turn left. Exceptions would be made for emergency vehicles and vehicles engaged in highway maintenance or construction.

The bill, H421, awaits assignment to committee for the session that begins March 7.

South Carolina

One South Carolina bill covers left lane use on the state’s busiest roadways.

In 2021, Gov. Henry McMaster signed into law a bill to modify the state’s left lane rule.

Previously, state law required any vehicle moving at less than the normal speed of traffic to stay to the right. Exceptions to the lane rule are made for situations that include preparing to turn or to overtake and pass another vehicle.

No penalties were attached to the law.

The revision signed into law by McMaster applies the left lane rule to situations on highways with at least two lanes when a vehicle is traveling behind a slower-moving vehicle. Fines are limited to $25.

Additionally, commercial drivers are exempt from the rule when they are unable to move into the right lane safely due to other vehicles overtaking or passing the truck on the right, or when a truck’s driver is unable to move into the right lane safely due to a highway grade or other vehicles overtaking or passing the truck on the right.

As the revision made its way through the statehouse, advocates said the change was necessary because the deterrent was not enough to discourage the behavior.

Fine amount revisited

Just over a year after the new law took effect, Sen. Ross Turner, R-Greenville, is looking to update the rule.

A Senate bill is intended to further increase the deterrent. S304 would quadruple the fine amount from $25 to $100.

Turner’s bill is in the Senate Transportation Committee. LL

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