Bills in three states pursue left lane changes

Work underway in multiple statehouses 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.

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.

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.

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 Tuesday, Jan. 17, to advance HB2222 to the full House. The bill first must go to the House Judiciary Committee.

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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