A lot of people hate left lane campers, people who just cruise in the left lane on highways so it’s hard to pass them. A new bill which passed the Florida legislature and now heads to Governor Ron DeSantis’ desk would allow police to charge anyone hanging out in the left lane with a moving violation, under certain circumstances.
Watch a cop get caught on a suspect’s bumper and go for a wild ride.
Once state law, drivers can be cited if they’re traveling on a stretch of road with a speed limit of 65 mph or greater with two or more lanes moving in the same direction. In other words, this doesn’t apply to regular surface streets in Florida cities.
The law also specifies that drivers can only legally occupy the leftmost lane of travel if they’re overtaking or passing another vehicle, preparing to exit the road, or have been directed to get in the left lane by an official traffic control device.
This means anyone who thinks they can go 60 mph in the left lane, no matter how many cars are behind them honking, could be pulled over and cited by a police officer for violating the law. We’re sure quite a few Floridians are excited about that prospect.
However, this doesn’t then mean going well in excess of the speed limit while in the left lane will be something police just tolerate. Although we suspect some will try their luck anyway.
The whole point of the bill is supposed to be preventing drivers passing slower cars by moving into the right lane. Likely Governor DeSantis will sign the bill into law, then we’ll see how it plays out. Several other states have similar left-lane laws on the books.
If you live in Florida or are planning to drive through the state, the law wouldn’t go into effect until January 1, 2025 so you have some time to adjust.
Image: Harrison Haines/Pexels
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