Indiana Police Fine 109 Left-Lane Slowpokes in First Year of New Law
The state of Indiana is cracking down on motorists driving too slowly in the left lane.
In the first year of the State’s highway slowpokes law, state police issued 109 tickets and at least 1,535 warnings to drivers that didn’t move from the left lane when they should reasonably know another vehicle is trying to overtake them. The law went into effect last July.
State police told local television that the law’s intent isn’t to penalize drivers for not yielding to others going 95 mph, but to discourage inconsiderate drivers that drive slowly in the left lane — something we have all likely experienced. Naturally the law isn’t in effect when there’s traffic or bad weather.
When the law went into effect last year, tickets would max out at $500 for being a slowpoke in the left lane, although the state said they would likely be in the $100 to $200 range.
[Source: WSBT, Image: By Huw Williams (Huwmanbeing) (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons]
by Jason Siu
More by TTAC Staff
Comments
Join the conversation
This is a feel good revenue raising scheme. To really fix it, make the passing lane legal speed +10 and ticket all trucks in the passing lane except for emergency need or left hand turn need. The 55 mph and truck only lanes out west help, but those are often ignored. The other fix needed for highways are congestion variable speed limits like Saint Louis has and actually enforce them. Regards who wreck every single day on the SoCal freeways are a menace and screw it up for everyone. Better everyone goes 45 or 55 with no wrecks than stop and go at 80, which is extremely stressful.
This article should have said " 109 tickets in the FIRST SHIFT" . . I hate left lane bandits too , all one needs to do is get up close to me or flash your brights and I'll get right on over . . Yesterday I was passing everyone else on the serpentine Pasadena Freeway @ 85 + MPH hen I noticed a Maserati behind me , far behind but moving right along ~ I immediately signaled and moved to the right , he blew past me a few moments later and I resumed using the left lane to pass everyone else . . It's not rocket science , it's common courtesy that also improves safety . . My Big Brother OTOH, is a terror ~ he brake checked some one on SR 99 last week , at the top of the exit ramp he suddenly slowed to _15_ MPH , I thought we were about to be rear ended . . -Nate