Florida Senate passes bill cracking down on left lane drivers
 

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - A bill that seeks to prevent motorists from cruising in left lanes of highways is headed to Gov. Ron DeSantis.

The Senate on Thursday voted 37-0 to pass the bill (HB 317), which would apply to drivers on highways with at least two lanes in the same direction and speed limits of 65 mph or higher.

The House voted 113-3 last week to pass the bill. Senate sponsor Keith Perry, R-Gainesville, said the measure is intended to improve highway safety.

"If someone in the left lane is going slower, and you pass them (on the right), you are creating an infraction and you can get ticketed," Perry said.

Under HB 317, drivers on a road, street or highway "with two or more lanes" where the speed limit is "at least 65 miles per hour... may not operate a motor vehicle in the furthermost left-hand lane, except when overtaking and passing another vehicle; when preparing to exit... or when otherwise directed by an official traffic control device."

The purpose of the bill is to make it clear when motorists can use the left lane.

The bill's sponsor said he wanted to prevent drivers from using the right lane to pass slower-moving traffic using the left lane.

The bill sets non-criminal moving violation fines of up to $158.

Gov. Ron DeSantis said Friday he will talk with law enforcement officials before deciding whether to sign the bill, according to News Service of Florida.

During an appearance Friday in Pensacola, DeSantis said he wants to hear the practical implications to law officers of enforcing the measure, which would apply to drivers on highways with at least two lanes in the same direction and speed limits of 65 mph or higher. “Are we going to be pulling people over for that? How would that work?” DeSantis said.

He added, "So, I'm going to actually talk to people that do this for a living, whether they think it would be a benefit, both in terms of safety but also we want convenience. We want people to be able to get where they can go as quickly and as safely as possible. But then also enforcement, is that going to radically change how they (officers) do their job, in terms of enforcement?"

Huh? Based on other TOTV threads, I understood that this was already the law. But, it sounds like the law is being downgraded to only apply to the Turnpike and the Interstate, where speed limits are 65 mph or higher.

Does this mean that you can't use the left lane of the Turnpike or I 95 unless you are passing a vehicle? Wouldn't that reduce these multi-lane roads to a one lane highway except for passing? I would think the right lane would really be crowded!

The current law states you must move out of the left lane if approached from behind by a faster moving vehicle. This new law would keep slow drivers out of the left lane in the first place. About freakin' time. I only wish it applied to all multi-laned roads with a speed limit of at least 3 mph.

I agree today driving to Mulberry VA clinic on BV 11 cars never left the lane from 44. All was well they were all driving 28mph, so just cruised by in the right lane:clap2:

I don’t get it fear of being passed, fear of the right curb jumping at them, eventual left turn. Trying to control traffic speed or just i am special I only go left

At the very least, the news of this should encourage people to MOVE OVER, & stop hogging the left lane.

It should, but I doubt it will. No more than a sign on BV showing a speed limit of 35 stops cars from going 50, nor a huge red octagonal STOP sign stops cyclists from blowing right through it. It appears Americans feel they have the right to drive however they darn please and to heck with anyone else on the road or the traffic code. But don't feel bad, it's worse in many parts of the world I've been to.

They do a much better job of staying right on restricted access highways in Europe and it is illegal to pass on the right

Believe Louisiana has such a law, and has for several years. The left lane is for passing only. If you are not passing a slower moving vehicle, stay in the right lane.

I hope like crazy this becomes a law. They should have signs everywhere. Left lane is for passing. It would absolutely benefit. The reason for traffic on highways is always the left lane driver, of course barring any accidents or road blockages. I think 50% of the people don’t even know about the left lane.

I drove up to New York recently on I-95 and even though the speed limit is in the 70mph range most drivers were doing 90mph or better. I even caught myself going with the flow and traveling at that speed from time to time.
The question I have is what this is supposed to achieve, and does it apply to truck drivers who will drive for miles in any lane they choose.

Answer to first part of question: It achieves the goal of keeping slugs out of the left lane at 55 mph in a 70 zone, which in turn increases safety because everyone won't have a mad dash to get around them on the right.

Second part: It applies to all vehicles. And on most highways with 3 lanes trucks are totally barred from the left lane anyway.

If the bill is signed in to law I doubt it will make any difference. As a rule, people do what they want, regardless of the law or the fact that they are inconvenincing others.
We can always hope though!

We are pretty good at lane discipline on two lane roads in the UK.
Our main problem is when there are 3 lanes on our Motorways.
Heavy trucks and coaches in UK and Europe are governed to 60mph (96kmh) and are not allowed in the outside lane.
There are a lot of car drivers who are members of The Centre Lane Owners Club, who insist on traveling at 59mph in the center lane and will not speed up or pull over to let trucks out to overtake each other.
CLOC members are easy to recognize, very white-knuckle grip, glazed eyes, and fixed stare ahead, very similar to left lane huggers in US.

In Germany, on unrestricted Autobahns, drivers soon let you know to move over.
I was once overtaking another car doing 90mph+ and was blasted for holding someone up.
'Das Volk' take no prisoners!

I hope this passes and cops fine people that don’t obey it. Then, they need to modify the bill to include all 2 lanes with speed limits over 20mph, like on Morse and BV. Why people will park themselves in the left lane not going any faster and especially when going slower than the slow lane when cars are behind them.

Then after that bill gets invoked, the state should assign a cop at every roundabout and ticket people that don’t know how to navigate them with a $1000 fine. With the number of fines, they can justify the cops salary.

Will this law make any difference? Seems no other traffic laws are being enforced including speeding!

Passing on the Right
 

I want to hear more about if I will get ticketed for passing on the right. Drivers need to be able to pass on the right because, even with this new law, there will be ppl camping in the left lanes.

The bill won't be worth the paper it's written on because there won't be any enforcement (just like most other traffic laws). I'm also curious about the complaints about people parking themselves in the left lane going under the speed limit. Based on my experience, especially on the turnpike here in Florida, very few folks are going anywere near the speed limit. Many more are going 85-95 than 60-70.

Consider someone wants to make a left turn but does not know exactly where to turnoff. Traffic in the left lane is so heavy that he may not be able to get into that lane in time. So he gets onto the left lane anticipating a turn off hopefully soon. Guess I am one of the culprits. Thankfully GPS is making it a less frequent occurrence

Truckers have started driving in the middle lane which pushes all 4 wheelers to the fast lane. Until they get the trucks out of the middle lane the 3 lane highways will not work correctly.

Great question! If that were true, as the phrase quoted by the legislator suggests, it would make the problem worse. The bozo cruising in the left lane at 55 would back up traffic for miles if no one could pass on the right. Thousands of vehicles would have to mosey along at the slug speed until a cop came along and pulled the clown over. Perhaps the lawmaker spoke incorrectly

Florida Statute 316.084 explains when it is allowable to pass on the right. The quote in the article is misleading at best.

Exactly! What about people doing the speed limit in the left lane? Aren't tailgaters behind them breaking the law? Won't they break the law even further by speeding up (over the speed limit) to go around you after you move into the right lane to get out of their way? People like that think they are on a racetrack anyway and normal drivers are a nuisance. I just move to the left, let them go around so they get the ticket, and I can continue drinking my beer. (ha, ha, kidding about the beer)

The Florida statute allows you to pass on the right on a highway or street with unobstructed pavement that isn’t occupied by parked vehicles. It must be wide enough for two or more lines of moving traffic in each direction.

I don’t know if this will be changed if the other law is enacted.

Motor Vehicles § 316.084. When overtaking on the right is permitted

(1) The driver of a vehicle may overtake and pass on 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 street or highway with unobstructed pavement not occupied by parked vehicles of sufficient width for two or more lines of moving traffic in each direction;

(c) Upon a one-way street, or upon any roadway on which traffic is restricted to one direction of movement, where the roadway is free from obstructions and of sufficient width for two or more lines of moving vehicles.

(2) The driver of a vehicle may overtake and pass another vehicle on the right only under conditions permitting such movement in safety.  In no event shall such movement be made by driving off the pavement or main-traveled portion of the roadway.

(3) A violation of this section is a noncriminal traffic infraction, punishable as a moving violation as provided in chapter 318.

The current law doesn't ask you to determine how fast the person behind you is going. It doesn't deputize you to enforce the speed limit in the left lane. It doesn't ask your opinion of the other driver's driving style. The current law requires that you move out of the leftmost lane if a faster vehicle is approaching from behind you. Very, very simple. Leave the rest to the proper authorities.

This Bill took effect on January 1st. The rule about pulling to the left and/or slowing down when passing any emergency vehicle has been expanded to include any vehicle - emergency, construction or passenger - stopped on the right shoulder. This also took effect on Janauary 1st.

Are those actual signs, lol.

It will not be changed by the bill as it is currently written. What, if anything, eventually gets signed might look different.

When driving to Gainsville on I75 (70 mph limit) I usually use the middle lane at around 75. When I get to someone moving slower in that lane I pass them on the left. I stay in the left at around 75-80 if there is no one faster behind me and slower vehicles in the middle. I keep an eye out for anyone faster coming up from far behind in the left lane and if so I move back to the middle to let them pass. I may use the right for passing if the other 2 lanes have slower drivers. But it is very annoying to have people driving slower than the speed limit hogging the left lane. Everyone tries to pass them and some tailgate to get them to wake up. If I'm in the middle lane and that slow person is in the left, cars will sometimes slice in front of me to get around them. I'm for a law that works to prevent those slugs in the left lane, but not holding my breath to see it actually work.

We live in the Ocala National Forest. A bigger problem here are the drivers going 45 mph on a 55 mph road. Another problem is the driver wanting to drive 70 mph when the speed limit is 55 mph.

However, your so called "normal drivers" are NOT THE POLICE. IT IS NOT UP TO THEM TO DICTATE SPEED TO ANYONE ELSE. THEY HAVE NO IDEA WHY THAT DRIVER BEHIND THEM IS SPEEDING. THE LAW SIMPLY REQUIRES THEM TO MOVE OVER AND GET OUT OF THE WAY. PERIOD.

You are disrupting the flow of traffic and will potentially cause a serious accident. Traffic enforcement is not only about strict adherence to a sppeed limit but about a safe flow of traffic and if no one can get around you, you are creating a dangerous situation.

Research has shown that lane changes account for as much as 10 percent of highway accidents.

When slow left lane drivers are scattered across the road, faster drivers must change lanes more often to weave back and forth around them.

Besides accidents and unpredictable driving, there’s another serious driving hazard connected to left lane driving: road rage. Some studies have identified left lane driving among the five behaviors that most irritate other drivers. While it’s every driver’s responsibility to prevent road rage, it’s also a motorist’s responsibility to drive safely and courteously. Sometimes driving safely includes getting out of the way when an aggressive driver approaches from behind.

The primary role of the left lane is to provide a space for you to pass cars traveling more slowly than you. That helps manage traffic, avoid delays, and keep everyone safer.

Why do people keep making absurd statements like this? Cyclists don’t do this any more than drivers do. Why do you single out the cyclists for your anger and derision?

It won’t help in the least. It’s already a law that I have NEVER seen enforced.

Occasional cameras hooked to TVs that put your face on the screen when the camera determines that you are slowing down traffic might help. 😃

This makes some sense but enforcing it will be a problem.

I have never had a car blow through a stop sign when I was close enough that I had to hit the brakes to avoid a collision. I *HAVE* had bicyclists do this to me, and I *HAVE* seen it happen to others.

(NOTE: Certainly not all bicyclists do this but it occurs often enough to be noticeable)

Coming to Florida I was pretty surprised that passing on the right, on a 2-lane highway, was common and acceptable. Up north, a 2-lane highway's right lane is the travel/exit lane, and the left lane is the passing lane. If you're not planning on passing someone, you get back to the right lane. If you want to pass someone in the right lane, you move to the left lane and pass them.

On a three lane highway, the right lane is the "local" lane - for entering and exiting the highway and for people who want to drive slower than the rest of traffic. The middle lane is the through-lane, and the left lane is the passing lane.

It was this way in Boston, and Connecticut, and New York, New Jersey - pretty much everywhere. It applied only to highways that had exits, not to 2-lane state roads with cross streets.

And obviously if the left lane was backed up due to an accident, everyone shifted over to the right. But when traffic's moving, you pass on the left, cruise in the center or right if there's no center lane.

On highways where there are 4 lanes going in the same direction, the left-most lane is still passing only. Right lane is local (enter and exit), and the center two lanes are for cruising.

No idea why Florida never caught up with this concept, considering how many accidents there are on the highways down here.

Seriously? I guess you’ve lived a charmed life. I have had cars do that to me, but I’ve never seen a cyclist tempt fate by forcing me to perform emergency maneuvers as you imply. Any cyclist that does something so foolish isn’t doing that because they are cyclists, but because they are fools. Cyclists that do that regularly are not long for this world.

Please stop painting people with a broad brush.

It appears you are discussing customs rather than laws. From what I can find, passing on the right is legal in both Connecticut and New York under conditions similar to those in Florida. I suspect that passing on the right under those conditions is legal in most (all?) states. Customs, of course, vary.