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Sen. Michael Baumgartner (R, Spokane) is proposing new legislation aimed at left-lane campers
Quote:
...his bill, SB 6105, creates a new traffic offense of aggravated left-lane driving. In addition to the $124 fine for continuous left lane driving, a slowpoke could be slapped with additional penalties. They would start at $27 for one-to-five miles under the speed limit, and rise to $67 for 16-to-20 miles an hour under the limit.
I applaud the thought, but I'm not sure that this solves the problem, and I can see it being horribly abused by fine-hungry police. The problem I see is not so much people going under the limit in the left lane, but going right at the limit or even a couple over, when most other drivers are going 5-10 over. In a situation like that, the slower driver should head for the right lane, but some refuse to. This law would not address such a driver.
In the Seattle area, highways are generally so congested that one could easily break this law while still acting as a responsible driver. Often on my commute home congestion is such that the left lane might be doing 50 mph, and the right lane 40 mph. If I'm doing 50 in the left lane, and can't go any faster without violating the 2-second rule w/ respect to the car in front of me, I see no reason to move to the right lane. Yet under this law I would be in violation if I didn't.
I'm not sure a law can really be devised to solve the problem without giving broad discretion to police, and I'm not sure I trust police with broad discretion. Maybe a better idea would be a massive education/shaming campaign. I do agree with Senator Baumgartner that the slow left lane driver is a severe safety hazard. Cars continually come up behind, and have to wend their way around the slow left lane driver. It's a much bigger hazard than the guy going 5-10 over the limit.
I would take it one step further, where consistenly driving on left lane (no matter what speed) when right lane is open should be ticketed.
These guys create intangible hazards and are clueless of their role, so I say ticket them. Even when freeway is open, I only use left line as the "passing lane", most Europeans know this since it is the law.
I don't think this law could be justly enforced. First off, it should never be a crime to go 1-5 under the speed limit. Some officers already ticket for 1 over, and no one, not even Superman himself can keep a car EXACTLY at the speed limit on the dot. Speeds fluctuate slightly, has this senator never driven a car? I mean, if you're OBVIOUSLY going slower than the left lane, you should stay in the right. But this is yet another place the criminalization process should keep itself out of. Finally, there ARE police officers out there that are dumber than a door post.
I don't think this law could be justly enforced. First off, it should never be a crime to go 1-5 under the speed limit. Some officers already ticket for 1 over, and no one, not even Superman himself can keep a car EXACTLY at the speed limit on the dot. Speeds fluctuate slightly, has this senator never driven a car? I mean, if you're OBVIOUSLY going slower than the left lane, you should stay in the right. But this is yet another place the criminalization process should keep itself out of. Finally, there ARE police officers out there that are dumber than a door post.
It is important to know the exact verbiage of the bill. I don't think it prudent to say whether or not something like this would work by going off a news article with paraphrases. For example, are there conditions for enforcement that take traffic congestion into account?
They would start at $27 for one-to-five miles under the speed limit, and rise to $67 for 16-to-20 miles an hour under the limit.
He clearly sees that there's a need to make it clear that the speed limit is still the speed limit in the left lane because there are so many people who somehow think that the speed limit disappears in the left lane.
It also makes it clear exactly what left lane hogging is and is not, legally. Not only to the driving public but to the police.
I don't think this law could be justly enforced. First off, it should never be a crime to go 1-5 under the speed limit. Some officers already ticket for 1 over, and no one, not even Superman himself can keep a car EXACTLY at the speed limit on the dot. Speeds fluctuate slightly, has this senator never driven a car? I mean, if you're OBVIOUSLY going slower than the left lane, you should stay in the right. But this is yet another place the criminalization process should keep itself out of. Finally, there ARE police officers out there that are dumber than a door post.
Its not a crime to go under the speed limit, its a crime to go under the speed limit in the left lane!!!!!!!!!!!!
Some people feel entitled to the left lane like they own it. Its just a road and it doesnt hurt your pride or ego to move over to the right when you can.
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