Posted on 04/08/2005 6:29:31 AM PDT by RedBloodedAmerican
TALLAHASSEE -- Slowpokes could get a $60 fine for hogging the fast lane and ticking off motorists who want to pass.
The "Road Rage Reduction Act" is speeding through the Legislature following a 27-10 vote in the Senate on Thursday, two days after the House passed a similar bill by an even wider margin, 109-4. A spokesman for Gov. Jeb Bush said the governor must still evaluate the issue.
The bill requires drivers to stay in the right lane unless they're passing a vehicle or making a left turn. Supporters -- including the Florida Sheriffs Association and Florida Police Benevolent Association -- said the bill would ease traffic flow and make it unnecessary for motorists to dangerously maneuver around slower moving vehicles.
Opponents, including Sen. Evelyn Lynn, R-Ormond Beach, said the bill's emphasis on slower drivers was misplaced.
"We should have our police catching all the offenders of speeding," Lynn pleaded on the Senate floor.
In addition to the proposed fine, the bill calls for a three-point penalty on a driver's record (motorists who accumulate 12 points can lose their license). Bill sponsor Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton, had pitched a four-point penalty but critics said it should be less than the four points assessed to reckless drivers.
The proposed law would allow for many exceptions to the right lane rule, such as using the left lane to avoid hydro-planing in a rain storm or to dodge debris in the roadway. Plus, it doesn't apply when there's no one else on the road.
"You can drive from (Tallahassee) to Miami as long as there's no one behind you," Bennett said.
Still, Sen. Rod Smith, D-Gainesville, called it a "traffic ticket enhancement" act, and Rep. Irv Slosberg, D-Boca Raton, one of the few opponents in the House, said it would increase speeding.
Local motorists were mixed in their reaction to the proposal.
Terry Carter, 26, of Holly Hill liked the idea of separating lanes for faster and slower drivers: "Most older people go slow. I have problems when I get cut off by an older person," Carter said.
Donna Parks, 48, of Volusia County said the bill was necessary: "All truck drivers should be in the right lane. Once when I was merging onto the interstate a truck driver was going so slow he almost ran me off the road," she said.
Naamon Lewis of Holly Hill, though, had doubts.
"We got a lot of people that hog that left lane, but I don't know about making a law," Lewis said. "Good gracious. I don't necessarily agree with the fine and (three) points off your license. I think that's stepping a little too far."
-- Staff Writer Eileen Zaffiro contributed to this report.
SIGNS YOU MIGHT BE AN AGGRESSIVE DRIVER
· Do you get angry at drivers who cut you off, tailgate or go slowly?
· Are you impatient at stoplights or when driving in the slow (right) lane?
· Do you compete with other drivers, drag racing from stoplights or moving ahead in traffic jams?
· Do you punish bad drivers by tailgating, cursing, flashing high-beam headlights or blocking drivers attempting to pass?
SOURCE: Adapted from AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety aggressive driving quiz at www.aaafoundation.org/quizzes
heheh, no worries. :)
"Still, Sen. Rod Smith, D-Gainesville, called it a "traffic ticket enhancement" act..."
This is sort of the way I see it. I am one of those that will give a single flash of my lights to a guy blocking the passing lane and then try to use some other lane - or on rare occasion, the shoulder - to pass. But I will be honest here, I have been saved more than one ticket by being blocked by a fast lane nanny at just the "right" time.
With a law like this, speeders will be more likely to go as fast as they want, including times when they will be passing radar cops.
It most definitely WILL reduce road rage as well.
It will also increase ticket revenue, extracted from those who actually deserve it (sometimes that would be me).
I most definitely see this as a win-win for everyone concerned. There is NO downside.
Depends on where you live I guess. Here an ambulance will respond to a hang nail.
A trick I learned from my husband is; if someone is tailgating you, "HIT YOUR FLASHERS ON AND OFF FAST" the person tailgating will think you hit the brakes and back off.
Works for me...........
....oh, that's nice, "IT'S THE GOOD FOR ME BUT NOT FOR THEE ATTITUDE". Can't you see how hypocritical that is????
I had to go back to the original thread that you are criticizing to see what it said. I give you credit for figuring out enough of its meaning to respond! I couldn't make out what the heck he was getting at. Forget road rage... that poster has font rage!
I'm getting a new (new to us, that is) Suburban today, and you can bet I'll be really careful how I drive it! It's an '89... made back when it was a real truck. I'm going to be careful driving it just because I don't want anything to happen to it... probably I'll never want to risk the highways again.
....your post #83
That statute is referring to passing on single-lane roads. It is wholly inapplicable to the discussions on this thread.
Good, as this thread shows, not everyone knows that! Maybe it's not stressed in driver's ed. I think my husband told me.
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