Final OK for Georgia’s ‘slowpoke’ bill

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution ^ | 03-11-2014 | Kristina Torres

[PaulCruz2016]

Left-lane lurkers on Georgia’s highways and interstates are a pen-stroke away from trouble under legislation given final passage Tuesday by the Georgia Senate.

House Bill 459 would allow authorities to ticket those who lollygag in the state’s left lanes. The bill makes it a misdemeanor for any driver on a divided highway who does not move to the right when a car going faster approaches from behind.

With the state House already signing off on the measure, all it needs is Gov. Nathan Deal’s signature to become law.

[cuban leaf]

This’ll be a fun thread. ;)

[cuban leaf]

Washington state drivers are notorious for this, btw. I was headed home to Seattle from an event in eastern Montana on I-90 and me and another car were averaging about 90 mph. Every now and then we’d come across a car that refused to move out of the way and we had to pass on the right.

Out of six cars that did this, four had Washington plates.

[FreedomPoster]

GA FReeper ping.

I hope Deal signs this one, not that I expect much enforcement of it.

Slower traffic keep right!
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[Campion]

So if you’re going the speed limit in the left lane, it’s a misdemeanor if you don’t get out of the way of someone breaking the law?

[cuban leaf]

Bills like this can be real moneymakers because:

A. You get to ticket people for blocking speeders.
B. Speeders are free to, well, speed, increasing their opportunity to speed by a radar trap and get ticketed.

I’ve actually been blocked from speeding by a slowpoke only to follow him safely through a speed trap. Cops must hate that.

[cuban leaf]

I’ve wanted to get one of those, but I fear it would be a ticket magnet.

[Blood of Tyrants]

It is the same everywhere. People who do 1/2 mph over the posted speed think they have a right to ride the left lane for a far as they like.

[FreedomPoster]

It certainly was when it came up as a bill moving through the state legislature a couple weeks ago.

There are a number of passive-aggressive left lane enforcers on FR with Barney Fife complex.

[FreedomPoster]

Yes, likewise.

[cuban leaf]

So if you’re going the speed limit in the left lane, it’s a misdemeanor if you don’t get out of the way of someone breaking the law?

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That is exactly correct, even if you are going ten over and they want to go twelve over.

In some cases it is considered vigilanteism.

A real solution to the squishy laws would be to bump all the speed limits by 10 mph and then institute a zero tolerance enforcement. 70 becomes 80 and if you go 81, you get a ticket. It’s how it works in the real world anyway (ask any cop). The current squishy speed limits allow them to use it as an excuse to pull over people for other reasons.

[Genoa]

If the traffic in the left lane is moving faster than the traffic in the right lane, doesn't that constitute passing? And does it not make a difference how crowded the right lane is? And, as others have already noted, are speeding and speed limits a factor?

[cuban leaf]

There are a number of passive-aggressive left lane enforcers on FR with Barney Fife complex.

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Yeah, it was a fun conversation here when Florida did this. They just can’t see that the other side is absolutely right on this one. For starters, if there is any traffic at all, one of these barney fifes will create a huge moving traffic jam. That is very dangerous. I’ve seen it many times in my 44 years of driving.

[Genoa]

If I can get over and let the speeder by me, I sure do! But I object to being forced to change lanes dangerously to compensate for some speeder's impatience.

[cuban leaf]

I’ve seen people in Seattle get on I-5, move across five lanes of traffic to park their sorry butts at 55 mph in the passing lane. It is those times I really whish I could, just for a day, have permission to rent a big hummer with crash bars and ram those people right into the left guardrail - if, after flashing my lights once they don’t move over.

[Genoa]

CL, your logic would have everyone in the right lane except the one driver who is moving fastest in the left lane.

[cuban leaf]

If the traffic in the left lane is moving faster than the traffic in the right lane, doesn’t that constitute passing? And does it not make a difference how crowded the right lane is? And, as others have already noted, are speeding and speed limits a factor?

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If they are continually passing cars in the right lane, that’s fine. Then again, passing at slower than a walking speed faster than the other cars is not really passing.

[Jeff Chandler]

So if you’re going the speed limit in the left lane, it’s a misdemeanor if you don’t get out of the way of someone breaking the law?

Yep. It's not the driver's responsibility to enforce the speed limit by impeding traffic.

[cuban leaf]

If I can get over and let the speeder by me, I sure do! But I object to being forced to change lanes dangerously to compensate for some speeder’s impatience.

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I agree with you. However, that is technically a completely different issue. I have been botht the speeder and the guy holding up a car, but when I’m the latter I try to pass cars quickly, and not just barely noodle by them. For starters, I can use the guy passing me as a screen.

[Genoa]

We can be friends, then. We both seem to understand that this is based on what the circumstances are.