New Florida law for slow drivers

[Candor]

From CNN: In Florida, pesky drivers who are plodding along in the fast lane can now be ticketed and fined $60 under a provision of a larger highway bill that takes effect today.

The so-called "road rage" law makes it illegal for motorists to drive more than 10 miles below the speed limit in the left lane of a multiple-lane road or highway if another car is coming up behind them.

The ticket would have the same effect on a driver's record as a speeding ticket, said Florida Highway Patrol Lieutenant Jeff Frost, which means it could also lead to a higher insurance bill.

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While I am not in favor of many new laws these days, this one is way overdue. Too many people where I live drive too slow on the freeway. I even used to know someone who would travel 10 miles below the speed limit in the fast lane as a statement to other drivers what the speed limit was on the road.

[Latrinsorm]

Well-intentioned but ill-implemented. There is no fast lane, there is only a passing lane. The rule should be if you are in the passing lane but not passing for an unreasonable length of time, you get the ticket.

I'm also not sure how we can expect stationary police officers to accurately measure either of these behaviors, but perhaps the law implies a robust surveillance system, which would be good for many reasons.

[Wheelerm]

Love it. I don't live in FL, but Latrinsorm is correct. The left lane is for passing. Even if you are "speeding," you should be in the right lane if you are not actually passing someone.

I hate to see "left-laners" holding up faster traffic, especially when they will make absolutely no effort to get over in the right lane with it's clear.

[Whirlin]

Well-intentioned but ill-implemented. There is no fast lane, there is only a passing lane. The rule should be if you are in the passing lane but not passing for an unreasonable length of time, you get the ticket.

I'm also not sure how we can expect stationary police officers to accurately measure either of these behaviors, but perhaps the law implies a robust surveillance system, which would be good for many reasons.

I thought the aforementioned law was on the books, it was just more difficult to enforce due to the subjective nature of "unreasonable" length of time.

While this will be difficult to enforce, at least the 10 MPH is a lot more objective than a "reasonable amount of time in the passing lane"

Although, personally, I think that if you ever have a car behind you in the left lane, and there are no cars in front of you, you deserve to be shot.

[loxe]

Then there are the states with different speed limits for different types of vehicles.

[Candor]

Well-intentioned but ill-implemented. There is no fast lane, there is only a passing lane. The rule should be if you are in the passing lane but not passing for an unreasonable length of time, you get the ticket.

Technically you're correct - but I wonder what percentage of drivers don't know or don't care. I expect it's easily over half.

[Gelston]

I've seen places in Texas where you will be pulled over if you are driving in the left. Signs clearly mark it as a passing only lane. As for different speeds for different vehicles, I've seen that only for Semis having a slower speed... And generally when I've seen that they were also prohibited from driving in the left lane, sometimes the two left lanes if it is a bigger roadway.

[Candor]

I've seen places in Texas where you will be pulled over if you are driving in the left. Signs clearly mark it as a passing only lane. As for different speeds for different vehicles, I've seen that only for Semis having a slower speed... And generally when I've seen that they were also prohibited from driving in the left lane, sometimes the two left lanes if it is a bigger roadway.

Well Texas has a different approach to law enforcement...they enforce the laws. Quite a concept.

[Tgo01]

And generally when I've seen that they were also prohibited from driving in the left lane, sometimes the two left lanes if it is a bigger roadway.

I wish semis were never allowed to be in the left lane. I always love it when some jackass semi pulls right in front of me in the left lane (y'know I'm in the left lane to pass YOU buddy) and it takes them 5 minutes to pass all of the semis in the right lane because technically they should all be going the same speed anyways, I mean I don't think I've ever seen a semi going under the speed limit.

[Wheelerm]

In some parts of the Georgia Interstate system, semis are not permitted in the left lanes. Sometimes the left two lanes if there are more than three lanes. They can also ticket you if you don't allow traffic to merge, and they (along with my state) are now enforcing the "move over" law, which means you have to either move over one lane if there are police or emergency vehicles on the shoulder of the road, or if you can't move over because of traffic, you have to reduce your speed to 10 miles per hour below the speed limit.

[Sjoldamn]

Well-intentioned but ill-implemented. There is no fast lane, there is only a passing lane. The rule should be if you are in the passing lane but not passing for an unreasonable length of time, you get the ticket.

I'm also not sure how we can expect stationary police officers to accurately measure either of these behaviors, but perhaps the law implies a robust surveillance system, which would be good for many reasons.

I'm pretty sure, in NJ, you can be ticketed for "impeding the flow of traffic"... basically, and catch-all for people driving too far under the speed limit, or failing to move out of the passing lane.