Officials in seven states single out trucks, other traffic in left lanes

Lane use is a seemingly always evolving issue from state to state. The trend continues in the opening weeks of 2018.

Only a handful of months after enacting a new rule for left lane use, multiple Oklahoma state lawmakers are looking to make revisions to the rule. Elected officials want to further discourage drivers from hanging out in the passing lane.

The Sooner State already limits left-lane use on highways with at least two lanes of traffic in the same direction. Since Nov. 1, state law specifies that drivers are required to stay to the right unless passing or preparing to turn left or for safety measures.

The state has erected more than 200 signs notifying travelers “slower traffic keep right” and warning them not to “impede the left lane.”

Violators could face $235 fines.

Rep. Harold Wright, R-Weatherford, is behind a bill to revise exiting law in an effort to prohibit large trucks accessing the far left lane.

HB3306 would limit truck traffic from the left lane on roadways with at least three lanes of traffic in one direction.

Exceptions would be made for moving left to accommodate merging traffic and preparing for a left turn.

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association says that truckers are firsthand observers of the negative consequences of misguided traffic laws, and, while perhaps not intended, efforts to restrict trucks from certain lanes pose serious challenges for truckers and jeopardize the safety of the traveling public.

Mike Matousek, OOIDA director of government affairs, said that truckers contribute a significant amount of money to federal, state and local transportation accounts, and they have every right to use any available lane.

Another bill, filed by Rep. John Enns, R-Enid, would amend the 2017 law. His bill specifies that roadways within the city limits of a municipality would not be covered by the lane use rule as long as such roadways are not part of the interstate highway system.

HB3290 also would add road conditions and weather conditions to the list of exceptions for left lane use.

Similarly, Sen. Lonnie Paxton, R-Tuttle, has filed SB1025 to limit application of the 2017 law to interstates or turnpikes.

Multiple bills cover the fine amount – $235 – specified in the left lane law.

SB938 would limit fines to $20. The Department of Public Safety also would be prohibited from assessing points for violations.

SB1027 and SB1076 also would keep fines at $20.

The bills await assignment to committee for the regular session that begins Feb. 5.

Oklahoma is not the only state so far this year to pursue action to change left lane rules.

Alabama
State law specifies that vehicles traveling below the normal speed of traffic must stay to the right. One Senate bill, SB78, would go a step further to include a blanket requirement on roadways with at least two lanes of traffic for all vehicles, regardless of speed, to stay right except to pass.

Passing vehicles would be allowed 2 miles to complete the maneuver. Certain exceptions would apply.

Violators could face $250 fines – up from $100.

A separate House bill targets truck travel in the far left-hand lane.

Sponsored by Rep. Tommy Hanes, R-Scottsboro, HB4 would prohibit vehicles with three or more axles from driving in the left lane on the state’s interstates and U.S. highways with at least two lanes of traffic in one direction. The ban, with certain exceptions, also would apply along roadways with at least three lanes of traffic in the same direction.

“By restricting the movement of trucks to the right lane, they will inevitably block entrance and exit ramps and impede motorists from safely entering and exiting the roadway,” Matousek wrote in a letter to Hanes.

He said that lane restrictions create the “barrier effect,” which leads to dangerous merging and lane-changing conditions, more aggressive driving, reduced following distances, and ultimately an increase in the number of accidents.

Matousek added that the bill is redundant to the state’s existing keep right law.

Arizona
One bill seeks to get the word out about the state’s keep right law.

Arizona law specifies that travelers driving slower than the speed of traffic must stay in the right lane except to pass. Offenders face fines up to $250.

HB2301 simply requires the Arizona Department of Transportation to erect signs on highways notifying the public of the state’s lane law.

Kentucky
A House bill would impose left-lane restrictions on certain highways for professional drivers.

State law already requires vehicles traveling below the posted speed limit on any limited access highway with a posted speed limit of at least 65 mph to stay to the right. Exceptions are made for passing, yielding to traffic entering the highway, or when unsafe to use the right lane.

Rep. Jody Richards, D-Bowling Green, has introduced a bill that would single out commercial vehicles. Specifically, his bill would prohibit vehicles weighing in excess of 44,000 pounds from driving in the left lane on highways with at least three lanes of traffic and posted with speed limits of at least 65 mph.

Exceptions would apply for entering or exiting a highway from the left, when necessary during construction, or when traffic conditions exist that would prohibit the safe use of the right or center lanes.

HB113 awaits consideration in the House Transportation Committee.

Mississippi
Lane use for truck drivers and other Mississippi highway users is among the topics of conversation at the statehouse.

The Magnolia State requires vehicles driving slower than the normal speed of traffic to stay in the right-hand lane of multilane highways. Vehicles are allowed to merge left to overtake and pass slower moving traffic.

Three bills in the House Transportation Committee address lane use.

The first bill is a renewed effort to permit police to ticket travelers lingering in the far left lanes of multilane highways.

Sponsored by Rep. Charles Busby, R-Pascagoula, HB80 would expand the state’s rule to require travelers on multilane roadways to stay to the right except when overtaking or passing another vehicle. Also, drivers would be exempt if they are in the left lane to turn or exit.

Supporters, including OOIDA and the National Motorists Association, say that blocking the left lane, whether intentional or not, results in reduced road safety and efficiency.

Rep. Jeramey Anderson, D-Moss Point, has introduced another bill that covers travelers who poke around in the far left-hand lane of multilane highways. His bill, HB565, would permit police to ticket drivers lingering in the far left lanes when the person “knows, or should know, that another vehicle is overtaking from the rear.”

Certain exceptions would apply, including during times of congestion and when inclement weather conditions make travel in other lanes impractical.

A separate provision covers instances when a vehicle is driving at a rate of speed that three or more vehicles are blocked and cannot pass on the left. Affected drivers on roads with two lanes or a three-lane road with a center lane would be required to pull off to the right of the right lane “at the earliest reasonable opportunity” to allow the blocked vehicles to pass.

A similar effort, SB2229, is being pursued by Sen. Willie Simmons, D-Cleveland.

One more bill singles out truck traffic traveling in the Jackson area.

Sponsored by Rep. Randall Patterson, R-Biloxi, HB193 states that commercial vehicles must operate in the right-hand lane on a 7-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 49 in Rankin County. Specifically, trucks would face lane restrictions from Eagle Post Road in Florence to Kroger Drive in Richland.

New Hampshire
Left-lane laggards also are the target of a bill in the New Hampshire statehouse.

State law specifies that anyone driving slower than the normal speed of traffic must stay in the right lane, except to pass or turn left.

Rep. Reed Panasiti, R-Amherst, is behind a bill to eliminate the speed language in the rule. Instead, HB1595 states that vehicles must travel in the right lane unless passing another vehicle or preparing to turn left at an intersection.

The bill is in the House Transportation Committee.

South Carolina
A bill in the Senate Transportation Committee is intended to discourage drivers from hanging out in the far left lane of highways.

South Carolina law already requires 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.

Violators face fines up to $100.

Sponsored by Sen. Ross Turner, R-Greenville, S809 would raise the fine for violators of the keep-right law.

Specifically, the fine for driving less than the speed of normal traffic in the passing lane of a multilane highway would increase by as much as $200. Warnings would be issued to violators for the first 90 days.

The South Carolina DOT would also be responsible for posting signs along interstates to alert travelers of the law.

Virginia
One bill in the Old Dominion State takes aim at truck drivers traveling along Interstate 81.

Sponsored by Sen. Mark Obenshain, R-Harrisonburg, SB561 would set up a pilot program directing the Virginia DOT to set zones on I-81 where trucks would be required to travel in the right lane only.

Obenshain wrote in the bill “such restricted zones shall serve as a substitute for the construction of truck climbing lanes.”

Designated zones would need to be at least 3 miles long, on a portion of the highway with an incline of at least 1 mile or in an area with at least 5 miles between exits. Signs also would be posted to display the right lane restriction and the penalty for violations.

Two more bills seek to keep the left lane open. HB811 and HB1012 would prohibit impeding traffic the left lane. Exceptions would be made for overtaking and passing another vehicle or when preparing to turn left.