Indiana Latest To Penalize Slow Left Lane Motorists

by Cameron Aubernon

Published: June 9th, 2015

indiana latest to penalize slow left lane motorists

For those who despise being stuck behind left lane hogs, days could be short thanks to a handful of states cracking down on slow drivers.

Indiana is the latest to establish fines on motorists who choose to remain in the left lane rather than moving back onto the right to let faster motorists pass by, The Detroit Bureau reports. The fine would be up to $500/ticket for a driver caught driving in the left lane 10 mph under the speed limit.

Georgia, New Jersey, Florida and Michigan are among those with similar policies, with Florida docking three points on a motorist’s license in addition to a monetary fine, and Michigan fining drivers who remain in the left lane after passing; said law is rarely enforced, especially in metropolitan area due to high traffic levels. Overall, a total of 40 states have left lane legislation on the books, with states like Oregon and Ohio planning to join soon.

Critics of such legislation believe penalization of slower left lane drivers would only serve to encourage speeding, while advocates and experts counter by stating encouraging said drivers to remain or return to the right lane leads to greater passing and overall traffic safety. Leaving slow drivers in the left can create situations leading to greater chances of injury and death by forcing faster motorists to pass on the right.

[Photo credit: Garrett/ Flickr/ CC BY 2.0]

#Fines #Indiana #LeftLane #PassingSafety #Penalties #SlowDrivers #TrafficSafety

Cameron Aubernon

Seattle-based writer, blogger, and photographer for many a publication. Born in Louisville. Raised in Kansas. Where I lay my head is home.

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15 of 142 comments

Carve on Jun 10, 2015

It's nice to see this is a concern finally, but it's a poorly written law, and the fine is too high. I'll routinely go more than 10 under when things are clogged up. I've always thought the law should be "it is illegal to BE passed on the right". If someone can pass you on the right, you're in the wrong lane.

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Wheatridger on Jun 10, 2015

Judging by this photo (the Indiana Alps?), the Hoosier State is a lot more scenic than I realized.

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- Corey Lewis on Jun 10, 2015
  
  As a Hoosier originally, I can tell you that zero parts of Indiana reach anything near that level of elevation. Also Indiana plates are just very plain these days, greyish white with blue numbers.
  
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- Bumpy ii on Jun 10, 2015
  
  @Corey Lewis http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheMountainsOfIllinois
  
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- DevilsRotary86 on Jun 10, 2015
  
  Did you know that the Hoosier Alps is where they raise, herd, and sheer the Alacntar? The Alcantar, which is the Alpaca-Ostrich hybrid whose wool is spun into Alcantara seats.
  
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- JimC2 on Jun 10, 2015
  
  @DevilsRotary86 Spun into fine, Corinthian Alcantara seats!
  
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- Pch101 on Jun 10, 2015
  
  Judging from the photo, Indiana is a Midwestern, Mormon-free version of Utah.
  
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- Corey Lewis on Jun 10, 2015
  
  @Pch101 Ha, oh there are Mormons in Indiana. I had one as a college professor. There are also Menonites, whatever that means, and Amish.
  
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- Pch101 on Jun 10, 2015
  
  @Corey Lewis I do believe that I was kidding...
  
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- Corey Lewis on Jun 10, 2015
  
  @Pch101 Sorry, am unfamiliar with whether you have intimate knowledge of rural Indiana or no. You normally never kid, only write long serious things.
  
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- Pch101 on Jun 10, 2015
  
  @Pch101 The point that I was making is that the photo was taken in Utah.
  
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- Luke42 on Jun 10, 2015
  
  @Pch101 Yeah, yeah, there are Mormons everywhere. But they are only the dominant culture in Utah. This only matters because Utah, especially Provo, is the most culturally foreign place I've ever been to. It's more foreign than the actual foreign countries I've been to. Which is how the people who live there like it! It's a surprise if you get off the plane and aren't expecting to be a foreigner, though.
  
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- Drzhivago138 on Jun 10, 2015
  
  @Corey Lewis Mennonites, as they are usually spelled, are an Anabaptist, pacifistic group similar to the Amish, in that they often live in communities seperate from nonbelievers. Hutterites are also similar; unlike the Amish, the Mennonites and Hutterites embrace some modern creature comforts, like automobiles (but almost always in black) and wraparound sunglasses. I usually see Mennonites in groups at farm shows, looking at all the new farm equipment.
  
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JimC2 on Jun 10, 2015

By the way, B&B, that picture is a stock one I recognize from a few articles about left lane laws in the last couple years. Don't think too much into the mountainous terrain in Indiana... at least it isn't a stock photo of tundra wasteland or the Great Pyramid.

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Nickoo on Jun 11, 2015

I frequently fantasize about rear ending left lane blockers. They are the Bane of my driving existence....better than this would be to restrict semi trucks to the slow lane and to raise passing lane speed limit by 10 mph over the slow lane. Then make the minimum speed the passing lane max. So if the slow lane was 55, make the fast lane legal limit 55 to 65.

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