New Florida Law: Left Lane is for Passing
 

One of the Villages Airport Van drivers mentioned to me this week that he was pulled over this month on the FL Tpke by FHP and given a warning. it is now illegal to continually drive in the left lane when others are behind you. If approached from behind (regardless of speed) you must move over and allow other’s to pass you. This sounds like reasonable and long overdue legislation. Anyone familiar with this new law?

I believe 29 States already have this law on the books.

It should be courtesy as we get so, so regulated...unfortunately it is not. The other side is when someone behind is going as fast as lightening and a driver is hemmed in and afraid to risk quickly getting into the overly busy right hand lanes while Type A behind is honking and flashing now demanding that it is his 'right'.

Oh for the good ole days....or were they?

The law states you cannot travel continually in the left lane, 10 mph or lower than the posted speed limit.

Left-lane slowpokes face fines under new Florida law | members.jacksonville.com
The left-lane provision is part of the 226-page House Bill 7125. It states that drivers on any road with two or more lanes in the same direction may not drive more than 10 mph slower than the posted speed limit in the left lane if they know they are being overtaken. It does not apply to drivers preparing for a left turn at an intersection.

I also confirmed this, while talking to a highway patrolman.

Hurray!!! This will prevent so so so many accidents.
http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/.../0316.081.html

Statute:
(3) On a road, street, or highway having two or more lanes allowing movement in the same direction, a driver may not continue to operate a motor vehicle in the furthermost left-hand lane if the driver knows or reasonably should know that he or she is being overtaken in that lane from the rear by a motor vehicle traveling at a higher rate of speed. This subsection does not apply to drivers operating a vehicle that is overtaking another vehicle proceeding in the same direction, or is preparing for a left turn at an intersection.

Some who drive in the left lane at or below the speed limit are just clueless. Sometimes when I am forced to pass on the left I glance over to see the driver and I can tell they are just zoned out and unaware of the clog they are creating. Some do it to be spiteful feeling I have a right to drive in this lane as long as I am doing at least the speed limit. Both are causing a problem.

The intent of left lanes was for that exact purpose. Common sense would dictate such. However some drivers either are unconscious to the surroundings around them or preoccupied to notice that a long trail of cars is behind them. Also i recall a poster who said that he gets in the left lane at the stated speed and stays there so other cars won't speed. This is the reason Florida probably had to make this law.

The problem with it is that it is going to cause many more drivers to zig zag back and forth between the left/right lanes because the right lane is going to contain people who won't go over 60mph even though the speed limit is 70mph. So does the state then pull driver in the right lane not going the stated speed limit?

This law also implies that drivers going above 70mph + actually keep traffic flowing better which reduces bunching up and chain reaction accidents

the law has been on the table for a good number of years.
The new law still allows people to stay in the left lane as long as they are driving at the speed limit.

As a result the effectiveness will be .....none!!!!!

As far as waiting for driver courtesy to affect anything.....fagedaboutit.

Lane police the absolute worst!

If this is the case, the effect/meaning of the OP changes significantly.

What about the drivers on a cell phone in the left hand lane driving below the speed limit. Clueless?

Which NASCAR races have the biggest wrecks year in and year out? The restrictor plate races (Talladega & Daytona) where all of the cars are bunched together. The 'SUPER' citizen in the left lane making sure everyone else is in check is setting up this same dangerous situation. That being said, I don't condone the Beemer that has to go 90 mph either. Drive according to the traffic around you I guess. I'll go a little quicker than average when it's available, but back it off when the situation warrants...and whine about how dumb everyone else is.

They are the worst, next to the drunks and drug impaired. Left lane slow drivers need to be ticketed.

Maybe there's now hope on 466A for those driving in the left lane at 35-40 mph!

After reading the news articles of June 2013 stating the law is to get slowpoke drivers to move to the right lane if going 10 mph+ under the speed limit, I think it is wrong to claim the left lane is a "passing lane only".

Many times it's necessary to keep going in the left lane at the speed limit or above, because the right lane is a solid string of vehicles backed up behind a vehicle or two going under the speed limit. How does it help to force everybody out of the left lane and into the right lane that is clogged up?

The left lane should be regarded as a "thru lane" when the other one is slow!

It's about time but doubt will make much difference. There will always be those that ride that lane and think they are enforcing the speed limit by keeping others back. I'd be suprised if the FHP will really enforce it with a ticket, probably just a warning.

Thank you for clearing this up. No one owns the road and the left lane is not reserved for speeders. Common sense is the key here. If someone comes up on me at 85 mph on the turnpike and I'm doing 75 mph I'll probably pull over if it is not an inconvenience and is safe for me to do so to me rather than having him/her tailgate and flash the headlights at me. I won't speed up to move over for him/her but I won't pace the car in the middle lane either. If I'm in the left lane I'd be passing anyway otherwise I stay in the right or middle lane.

Guess you didn't read the whole thread.

Behind the Times
 

Because of work and also vacations I have driven a lot in Europe and you will find very few driving in the left lane. We use to tell new drivers from the states to only use the lane when passing as if you see a little spot in your mirror it may be a car going over 100 and they will come right up on your bumper and flash the lights to get out of the lane. Also, they are much more attuned to using their "Blinkers" when they move lane to lane. We are sloppy. I would never think of changing a lane in Europe and not use the turn signals. It is my opinion that drivers in Europe are much better than US drivers. Just an opinion from driving a lot in both places.:ho:

Drivers who don't use signals are so confusing and drivers who break first and then signal have it backwards. My all time favorite is the 4 way stop where someone doesn't know it's their turn, prompting everyone to try to figure out who's next and then decide to go.

100% correct without a doubt. There are just too many inconsiderate drivers in the USA and far too many with head inserted in places hard to see from.

Talk about clueless; One time while driving in NYC the older man in front of me kept pointing up. I kept looking up to see what he was pointing at and shrugging my shoulders and shaking my head, and he kept pointing up until he finally just gave up. About two hours later it hit me, he was giving me the finger through his rear view mirror. Still don't know why, but it was an effective way to deal with it. Still makes me smile when I think about it.

I'm from NJ and would make a couple a trips down south every year. I don't know how I missed this law but I almost got a ticket last year for staying in the right lane when a driver was getting ticket on the shoulder. I thought moving over to the left was just a courtesy. And if someone was blocking the left lane, it's my call. Up north the turnpike and parkway are packed so you stay in place as best you can. I learned my lesson.

Dating back to when I passed my driver's ed class in Indiana, I was instructed that the rules say: "Stay to the right except to pass". An amazingly complicated concept!

This pet peeve of mine started in CT on the Merritt Parkway, (a two lane parkway). Most drivers stay in the left lane to avoid oncoming cars from the entrances. Some don't have a clue the are holding up traffic or what is going around them, and the other half doesn't care. I have notice some people that stay in left lane keeping pace with a car alongside themselves, with no intention of passing, of trying to move over to the right.

A LEO person informed me that passing on the right is against the law.

I think LEO would not be able to give enough tickets to change this type of driving style. It is, what it is!

Repeating the above statute.... Because some people don't read everything.
If you're on a two or more lane Highway, you have to move over if somebody wants to pass you, regardless of what speed you are doing.

Passing on right is legal in FL.

Florida Drivers Handbook - Passing

Passing on the right is only legal when there are two or more lanes of traffic moving in the same direction or the vehicle you are passing is making a left turn. Pulling off the roadway to pass on the right is against the law.

I read all the responses to this post but yet when I travel down any of the four lane roads here in the villages Morris, 466, etc., most of the traffic is in the left lane! They must not be readers of this forum. The law should apply to middle lane huggers on 3 lane roads also. If you're getting passed on the right on the interstate, get out of the center lane!!

Probably 90,000 don't read TOTV.............plus thousands of visitors..................

Another poorly written law. 316.081 Para 3 says that if I am traveling on a 50 MPH Road and am going 50 MPH passing someone going 49 MPH, I must yield my position to the car approaching from the rear going over the speed limit.

I grew up in CA where the left lane is the fast lane. It was jarring to me (and still seems so) to have cars continually jumping between lanes to pass, then return. It also seems like they invariably cut in too close when they go back to the slow lane.

From the California DMV:

Drive in the lane with the smoothest flow of traffic. If you can choose among three lanes, pick the middle lane for the smoothest driving. To drive faster, pass, or turn left, use the left lane. When you choose to drive slowly or enter or turn off the road, use the right lane. If there are only two lanes in your direction, pick the right lane for the smoothest driving. Do not weave in and out of traffic. Stay in one lane as much as possible.

Let me clarify.

In CT, on a two lane parkway, it is illegal to pass, on the right.

On I95, a three lane highway, it is legal to pass on the right.

Just my understanding.......

It appears that the last sentence covers the issue you raise.

(3) On a road, street, or highway having two or more lanes allowing movement in the same direction, a driver may not continue to operate a motor vehicle in the furthermost left-hand lane if the driver knows or reasonably should know that he or she is being overtaken in that lane from the rear by a motor vehicle traveling at a higher rate of speed. This subsection does not apply to drivers operating a vehicle that is overtaking another vehicle proceeding in the same direction, or is preparing for a left turn at an intersection.

Yes, In the New England states, that is the law.
I was surprised that down here, its ok, on a two lane.

This is one of the most ignored laws on the books in other states. It is overlooked by the law that lets one drive with their head up their butt.

Keep Right Except to Pass. Period!
 

You forgot to this part of the law:
This subsection does not apply to drivers operating a vehicle that is overtaking another vehicle proceeding in the same direction.

mtdjed would be fine, as long as he moved to the right after passing the slower vehicle.

It's not new. It has been in effect for about 2 years. But it is largely ignored, and I've never seen it enforced.