Left-lane crackdown underway at state level
Lawmakers are coming after left-lane drivers. They’re not messing around.
Across the country, states are cracking down on left-lane driving. The message is simple: move over or pay up.
Some states focus their attention on truck travel in the left lane.
The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association supports a balanced approach. The nation’s largest trade group for small-business trucks and professional drivers warns the left lane should be for passing and keeping traffic moving – not banning trucks altogether.
Colorado
Colorado is looking to crack down on risky left lane passing.
Sen. Dylan Roberts, D-Frisco, said that after several years of decline, Colorado traffic fatalities increased in 2025. He supports a bill that addresses safety.
SB35 would double the penalty for passing on a solid yellow or double-yellow line in a no-passing zone. Drivers would receive eight points on their license instead of four.
A mandatory $100 penalty is included.
Roberts said the bill would improve road safety.
“My district in the mountains faces some of the highest rates of fatal crashes, many of which are caused by crossing double yellow lines and speeding,” Roberts said. “This legislation would keep our roads safer by highlighting and stopping these dangerous patterns of behavior.”
The Legislative Council Staff reports that over three years, 398 people were convicted and sentenced for illegal left passes.
SB35 also calls for clearer no-passing signs in crash-prone areas to reduce confusion.
The bill now advances to the House.
Kentucky
Kentucky is turning up the heat on slow drivers in the left lane.
Drivers already have to keep right unless they’re passing. Violators face fines of up to $100.
A Senate bill proposes new rules for driving in the leftmost lane of multilane highways. New penalties would be included.
SB280 prohibits driving in the far-left lane at a speed below the posted limit on highways with four or more lanes.
Exceptions include overtaking slower vehicles and yielding to traffic entering the highway.
Break the rule? It will cost you.
Fines would start at $150. Repeat offenses within 12 months could hit $350. Prison time would be on the table for subsequent offenses.
Rhode Island
Rhode Island is taking aim at left-lane campers.
Drivers are already supposed to keep right and move over if they’re slow. Ignore it, and it’ll cost you $85.
Now, lawmakers want to get tougher.
S2615 would make it crystal clear: the left lane is for passing – period. No cruising. No lingering.
The bill remains in committee. LL
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