Left Lane Law Passed in GA- Will it help?

[Yoadrian]

So my home state has passed a new law regarding slow drivers in fast lanes on highways. I seriously doubt that the police will enforce this well as they will be more interested in our new "Super Speeder" law which adds an additional $200 fine to your speeding ticket if you are going 85 mph or more on highways.

Maybe this will at least shine a light on this issue and make these morons realize that they are endangering everyone by driving slow in the fast lane.

Slowpoke drivers will have to stay out of the fast lanes or run the risk of being fined under a bill passed Monday by the Georgia House.

On multilane roads -- mainly interstates -- motorists will be expected to travel at the maximum posted speed limit if they’re driving in the left lanes, said Rep. Mark Butler (R-Carrollton), the bill’s sponsor.

Otherwise, they will be fined a minimum of $75, Butler said.

"This is a serious problem on our roads right now, and this seeks to help with that problem," he said. "This is a safety issue. This is a traffic issue."

The bill, which passed the House 129 to 29, has the backing of the Governor's Office of Highway Safety.

"We don't want to encourage speeding, but we don't want to encourage aggressive driving either," said Bob Dallas, director of the Office of Highway Safety.

He said faster drivers can be frustrated when they encounter slower drivers in the left-hand lanes. The result is the faster driver passes the slower one on the right and ends up making multiple lane changes, Dallas said.

It would not apply to the high-occupancy vehicle lane, Butler said.

Last year, the Legislature passed a law that cracks down on excessive speeders.

Under the so-called "super-speeder" law, motorists who are caught going 85 mph or more on most Georgia roads -- including interstates -- are subject to an additional $200 fine. On two-lane roads, meaning one lane each way, the extra fine kicks in at 75 mph.

That’s on top of whatever ticket the speeder gets for going over the speed limit.

Souce: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
By Nancy Badertscher
http://www.ajc.com/news/georgia-politics-elections/house-oks-bill-that-393960.html?cxntlid=daylf_artr

[kabel]

Will it help?

Only if it is enforced, which I highly doubt it will.

So keep changing lanes with out signaling, keep running those red lights, and camping in the left lane, no one of authority is gonna stop you.

My commute is on surface streets. But when I'm on the hwy I am no more than 2-4 mph over the limit.

[ChrisZang]

works great in my native Germany :-)

[blinkwatt]

I replied. I'm the fastest driver to work but I'm on the road at 6:45 a.m. when there is no one out.

[ARModen]

My grandmother got a ticket for driving too slow on the highway; 10 under the minimum speed limit. She never drank a drop of alcohol in her life.

We are obviously not related.

[eightsandaces]

Where I live, when a light turns green, you cannot immediately proceed without placing your life in danger. There are certain corners in the city where at least two more cars are coming at high speed into your fresh green light intersection.

[jmatta]

It's the (mostly) women on their cell phones that drive me crazy on the roadways. Why is it when they get behind the wheel, they immediately feel the need to talk on the phone and not pay any attention to their driving? Dangerous, because they likely drive giant SUV tanks, that would roll over any normal size auto in a heartbeat.

Yeah, and they do like to sit in the left lane as they yap on the phone.

[944boy]

here in WA there are signs saying "keep right except to pass" and it is the law to keep right. Does anyone? NOPE.... Some of the worst drivers in the entire country. 45 in a 60 for no reason...... and there will be 4 wide doing that side-by-side. They would rather stop someone for doing 65 (5 over) than 50 (10 under) in the left lane.

Not to mention the buses who never drive above 50 crossing all lanes to the left commuter lane and back.

Grrrrrrrrrr.

[Lil bastard]

Arkansas passed a similar law some 10 yrs. ago and I don't think anything changed, though I've not personally driven through since the Law changed.

Cheers!

[Daniel R]

We in the state of Western Australia "Down Under" had the same law introduced back in 1996. The advertising campaigns blasted us with "Keep Left Unless Overtaking" (we drive on the left) and the token dozen people were fined in the first month.

Now, 14 years on, no one abides by the law, nor is it enforced. I ended up in a little confrontation with an off-duty police officer last year when I tail-gated him flashing my high beam because he refused to move over on the highway even though he was driving below the limit, and to top it off REDUCED his speed because he knew it would "piss me off" as he put it. He threatened me with a fine until I told him he had better fine himself first for occupying the fast lane when not overtaking, and I had done nothing wrong, I was obviously not speeding as I was stuck behind him (funnily enough tailgating is not an offence here, there are guidelines to minimum safe distances but no laws). Upshot was after he yelled for a while, then I drove off without a fine.

The only place I have driven where people obey this law is in Europe. Seems to work well there as people are generally courteous drivers, and more importantly, don't take driving personally. I don't know how it is in the U.S. but here in Australia if you change lanes in front of someone with any less than about 4 car-lengths of room, you may as well have said something insulting about their mother. Violence originating from drivers not seeing eye to eye is a common occurrence here (the media has coined the term 'road rage'). Many people have been punched, stabbed or attacked with baseball bats (about the only thing we use them for here, no one plays baseball here, but many own the bat for personal protection) over nothing more than someone cut in front of someone else on the road.

So good luck Georgia, I hope the law works out for you better than it did for us.

[Frodo]

Originally Posted by eightsandaces

Where I live, when a light turns green, you cannot immediately proceed without placing your life in danger. There are certain corners in the city where at least two more cars are coming at high speed into your fresh green light intersection.

Yeah, I think that's getting to be true in more and more places anymore. It's certainly true in Ohio. I've seen as many as 3 vehicles run through the red light as I stare at my green light and wait patiently for them to finish up their dangerous nonsense. AND, anymore, there's like a 2-second delay between when their light turns red and mine turns green!! Unbelievable. Gone are the days when you can assume it's safe to go if you have the green light.

[dallison]

in pa you have up to two miles to make your pass and then the law says to get over. Of coarse there are a bunch of people in the left lane. They get angry when you pass them on the right and then get back in front of them.

In the winter what i like to do is when i am driving on a highway with jersey barriers, After i complete the pass back into the left lane in front of my victim, i'll drag the left tires into the marbles closest to the wall. It sprays their car and they back off real quick. :chicken:

[Yoadrian]

Originally Posted by eightsandaces

Where I live, when a light turns green, you cannot immediately proceed without placing your life in danger. There are certain corners in the city where at least two more cars are coming at high speed into your fresh green light intersection.

I hear you on this. I always wait an extra second or two and give a second look after the light turns green to start moving- prevented numerous wrecks doing so.

At least most drivers in my area are ok with you doing this. I remember being in New York city when I was younger and seeing drivers go crazy when someone didn't hit the gas right when the light changed. lol

[Lobo1186]

"Where I live, when a light turns green, you cannot immediately proceed without placing your life in danger. There are certain corners in the city where at least two more cars are coming at high speed into your fresh green light intersection."


personally if my city had this problem i would pull out right away expecting the red light runner... but i would never go far enough for him to hit me, he freaks out swerves and crashes. that would probably teach him not to do so. but what can I say im cold hearted.

[eightsandaces]

Originally Posted by Lobo1186

"Where I live, when a light turns green, you cannot immediately proceed without placing your life in danger. There are certain corners in the city where at least two more cars are coming at high speed into your fresh green light intersection."


personally if my city had this problem i would pull out right away expecting the red light runner... but i would never go far enough for him to hit me, he freaks out swerves and crashes. that would probably teach him not to do so. but what can I say im cold hearted.

Hehe Well, I'm not at that point, I might get hurt. I'll tell you this however, the first dimwit hits me taking or texting is in the for the court experience of their lives. I used to drive 800 - 1500 a week in a company ride with a gas card. My first cell was in a bag, speaking and driving was hands free and hardly anyone had phones. Now people feel the need to have a dialogue while you wait to get at a head of lettuce at the grocery. During that career I saw:

people with the laptop open and in use on the passenger seat

NY Times on the horn pad, article being read at 70 +

full make up job at highway speed, including doing eyelashes

That's why I get a little nuts about 7 mph speeding tickets, I'll take the speeder paying attention exclusively to his driving any day.

[jmatta]

"Where I live, when a light turns green, you cannot immediately proceed without placing your life in danger."

I have preached this topic to my son and daughter, both teen drivers, many times. Too many think they can beat the light or it's OK to run if you sound your horn; and
they usually have a phone glued to their head while they're at it.

[Yoadrian]

"I'll tell you this however, the first dimwit hits me taking or texting is in the for the court experience of their lives."

My new favorite pastime is to pull up next to someone who is texting while driving and lay on the horn. Scares the shi* out of people! lol

I do make sure that there are no other cars around them though just in case they swerve when I startle them.

[vipola]

super speeder 200$? that's nothing!!

Here (Canada, Quebec and Canada, Ontario) if you go over 50km/h excessive (150km/h in 100km/h witch is 95mph on the Highway) They

- Double the fine $
- Double the driving point you loose on your liscence
- Suspend your lisence for a few days
- Tow away your car


Be Happy your lucky, that 200$ is a good deal

[Mike_Yi]

This is my greatest driving pet peeve. We have a similar law in IL, but it's not enforced. It won't be enforced in GA either. It works in Europe because it has been in place forever, and it is enforced. Since it's not enforced here, everybody ignores it. On top of that, I would bet that greater than 90% of all drivers have no idea the law exists.

[Lobo1186]

it maynever be enforced... BUT it does give GA another way to make money so maybe they will enforce it just to get more revenue.

CA would. they are pulling people over for everything nowadays.