This Senator Says Fines Should Increase For Slow Left-Lane Drivers

Texans who drive long distances across our expansive state often can rally behind one major annoyance – slow drivers who hang out in the left-hand lane. Apparently, that irritation goes way beyond state lines as South Carolina State Sen. Ross Turner says he wants to see fines increase for those who drive slowly in the left lane. Piggy-backing off a law that recently passed in Oklahoma, Turner hopes to “…increase the fine for driving less than the speed of normal traffic in the passing lane of a multi-lane highway by $200,” News 4 San Antonio explains.

“With car drivers, the person’s either oblivious or has an attitude,” the president of the South Carolina Trucking Association Rick Todd said. “The issue is getting worse because of congestion, and people are less patient, and cars speed a lot. Combine all that, and people get irritated.”

Do you think Texans would get behind the idea to increase a slow left lane driving fine? According to KVUE, on Texas highway, it’s already a Class C Misdemeanor to travel slowly in the left lane which is supposed to only be used for passing, and it can result in a fine of up to $500. “It’s to allow vehicles that are traveling at a higher rate of speed … to continue moving in that left lane to pass other vehicles that are supposed to be on the right side,” Austin Police Department Detective Patrick Oborski explained.