Georgia close to banning left-lane slowpokes

"area man" (hurrburgring)
03/12/2014 at 10:31 • Filed to: Highways and Byways

!!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! Georgia legislators have passed a bill that would require drivers on a divided highway to move out of the left lane if a faster car comes up behind them - even if they're doing the speed limit. All it needs is the guv's signature.

I have no idea how they would actually enforce this, and the article makes it sound like they don't either, but obviously we can all get behind the spirit of this law. I'm not sure about making it a misdemeanor w/ possible jail time, though - there are plenty of other instances of stupidity I'd like to see criminalized like that first.

I'm pretty sure New Jersey is the only other state with a law like this - anyone know?

DISCUSSION (38)

Casper > area man
03/12/2014 at 10:36

Meh, unless they put muscle behind it and pull people over, it's pointless. That's already a law here on most roads and we have signs all over the place that say "Keep right except to pass" yet it does nothing without the cops enforcing it... which they don't. They make more money off speed traps.

ColoradoTaco > area man
03/12/2014 at 10:37

Colorado has this law. Is it enforced? F no. Do people follow it? Again F no.

revrseat70 > area man
03/12/2014 at 10:37

This would be brilliant in a more influential state! C'mon southeast, follow suit!

jariten1781 > area man
03/12/2014 at 10:40

Most if not all states have an 'impeding the flow of traffic' law that covers this. The new law would make it more explicate but I wouldn't expect to see it enforced any differently.

area man > ColoradoTaco
03/12/2014 at 10:40

Isn't that because everyone is stoned out there? I know I would be.

Dukie - Jalopnik Emergency Management Asshole > area man
03/12/2014 at 10:41

WA has the law as well. There was an article a year or so ago stating the State Patrol ticketed a bunch of people for it, but I haven't personally seen anyone get pulled over for it.
I'll see if i can find the article.

Edit: Here's the article: http://q13fox.com/2014/01/09/get…

RazoE > area man
03/12/2014 at 10:45

Obligatory

area man > Casper
03/12/2014 at 10:45

That's true - laws like these are more about education. If it was a law in all 50 states, its possible that it would become a more common aspect of learning how to drive. It would take a while, but I can see people becoming conditioned to this. We're pretty easy to manipulate, especially if we don't know it's happening.

area man > RazoE
03/12/2014 at 10:48

Yeah, that's a classic.

jkm7680 > area man
03/12/2014 at 10:48

Yeah. I'm moving there. I salute the Maryland trooper who have somebody a ticket for that.

offroadkarter > area man
03/12/2014 at 10:48

NJ here, although it doesn't get you jail time. One of my friends had his sister get a ticket for this, and another friend recently got let off with a warning.

Its not something that most cops will rip after you for if they see you in the left lane, but if cars are passing you on the right and they are behind you, they WILL pull you over

ColoradoTaco > area man
03/12/2014 at 10:48

The law has been around a lot longer than legal pot. And F those stores, trying to charge double , than add 19% tax. Hit. The. Bricks.

Casper > area man
03/12/2014 at 10:50

We just need to enforce it until it becomes something people worry about. The problem is that so many police departments are working as revenue collection departments that it's the amount they bring in, not how well they do their job, the they are worried about.

A guy I work with had a solution he wanted to try to get on a ballot. His solution was the whenever you get a ticket there are a list of approved non-government charities the money can be sent to. None of the money from the ticket is given to the government locally or federally, thus removing their incentive to exploit the laws for gain. The idea had flaws, but I think he was on the right track.

area man > ColoradoTaco
03/12/2014 at 10:50

Haha you tell 'em.

offroadkarter > RazoE
03/12/2014 at 10:50

My tax dollars going to good use. You have to be an oblivious retard to A. not notice a state trooper riding your ass and B. not be smart enough to get the hell out of his way even if he doesn't have his lights on.

BigBlock440 > area man
03/12/2014 at 10:52

Pennsylvania also has a left lane law, never seen it enforced though.

area man > offroadkarter
03/12/2014 at 10:52

Interesting, good to know how it works. Why are you friends with such slow people?

McLarry > area man
03/12/2014 at 10:54

Was informed yesterday in another Oppo conversation that it's not illegal to pass on the right, but it is illegal to be passed on the right in California.

McLarry > area man
03/12/2014 at 10:57

It seems to me this is unenforceable without a hike in speed limits... The self-righteous slow-pokes are going to barge into court yelling that they shouldn't be fined for obeying the speed limit just because everyone around them happened to be breaking it. If you think about it that way, our highway system is pretty stupid.

The Dummy Gummy > Casper
03/12/2014 at 10:58

That's great. Never going to happen, but great.

area man > Dukie - Jalopnik Emergency Management Asshole
03/12/2014 at 10:59

A girl I know from high school (Connecticut) moved to Tacoma a couple of years ago, and I swear at least half of her Facebook posts are about how horrible all the drivers are. Is it true? If they passed the law there, it must be at least partly true.

area man > McLarry
03/12/2014 at 11:03

Yeah, I can definitely see that happening. Speed limits and our myriad perceptions of what they really mean for our driving is a whole other conversation. It definitely needs fixing.

area man > McLarry
03/12/2014 at 11:03

Interesting. So kind of like the same thing here?

Dukie - Jalopnik Emergency Management Asshole > area man
03/12/2014 at 11:05

I've driven in a lot of places in this country to include an idiotic trip to Times Square at 1pm Thanksgiving Day (like, immediately after the Macy's Parade). There are many days that I wish I was driving in NYC instead of my daily commute here in the Seattle area.

area man > Dukie - Jalopnik Emergency Management Asshole
03/12/2014 at 11:10

Point taken. Damn.

offroadkarter > area man
03/12/2014 at 11:10

One is asian, the other is underpowered

area man > offroadkarter
03/12/2014 at 11:10

Haha

Casper > The Dummy Gummy
03/12/2014 at 11:20

That's what I told him. He walked off mumbling something about burning like Milton from Office Space.

Kinja'd!!!

Racescort666 > offroadkarter
03/12/2014 at 11:24

I was driving home from work one day on I-94 through Detroit going well above the posted limit of 55 when I noticed a cop on my ass. No lights but since I was doing about 70 my thoughts were "oh shit, here we go." I changed lanes expecting to be pulled over. Instead the cop goes flying past me. Releaved and very confused...

offroadkarter > Racescort666
03/12/2014 at 11:30

yeah I've had that happen before. Sometimes they can't be bothered or have other things to do.

The Dummy Gummy > Casper
03/12/2014 at 11:37

Haha. I legit think you'd see ticket counts go down, but the alternative to this is the officer could avoid pulling people over because they didn't want to do paper work.

I still prefer risking that than what we currently have.

HammerheadFistpunch > area man
03/12/2014 at 11:46

Utah has this law...it changes nothing.

HammerheadFistpunch > area man
03/12/2014 at 11:55

Here is good primmer on state by state keep right laws

Casper > The Dummy Gummy
03/12/2014 at 11:57

Yeah, that is how it should be. Driving violations were never intended to be black and white. Speeding is intended to be a very minor infraction that the officer can use for an excuse to pull someone over and use his discretion if it was reckless. Somewhere after the 70s the local governments got a taste for the revenue from it and never let go.

I even saw a local city that said ticket revenues were below projections so they added a $4 tax to their water bills to make up for it. That is just absurd. Tickets should never have been revenue, let alone revenue municipalities counted on for budgeting.

Kailand09 > Racescort666
03/12/2014 at 12:02

he was likely on a call and for various reasons didn't throw the lights on. This is often the case when you see them run a red without lights on as well.

Kailand09 > RazoE
03/12/2014 at 12:02

this is fucking amazing. I wish that would happen more often, and thanks for the share never seen it

McLarry > area man
03/12/2014 at 12:07

Sounds like it. The opponaut in question is jerbun (to give proper credit) and the convo is here . If you don't feel like clicking, this is the law in question:

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

21754. The driver of a vehicle may overtake and pass to the right of another vehicle only under the following conditions:

(a) When the vehicle overtaken is making or about to make a left turn.

(b) Upon a highway within a business or residence district with unobstructed pavement of sufficient width for two or more lines of moving vehicles in the direction of travel.

(c) Upon any highway outside of a business or residence district with unobstructed pavement of sufficient width and clearly marked for two or more lines of moving traffic in the direction of travel.

(d) Upon a one-way street.

(e) Upon a highway divided into two roadways where traffic is restricted to one direction upon each of such roadways.

The provisions of this section shall not relieve the driver of a slow moving vehicle from the duty to drive as closely as practicable to the right hand edge of the roadway.

area man > HammerheadFistpunch
03/12/2014 at 12:31

Cool, thanks.