New Bill: Slow Drivers In Fast Lane To Face Fine

CORNELIUS, NC -- State Sen. Jeff Tarte has had it with slow drivers clogging up the fast lane. The Cornelius Republican has filed a bill that aims to bring North Carolina up to speed with other states in the country that issue fines for impeding the flow of traffic on interstates. Drivers would face a $200 fine under the measure.

The bill, filed March 16, would prohibit driving in the left most lane on interstates or controlled highways “at less than the speed limit or when impeding the steady flow of traffic,” when they should realize they are in the way of a vehicle traveling faster, it said.

“It creates road rage,” Tarte told WSOCTV recently. “People start tailgating and then when you have people absolutely staying in the left-hand lane, people at the last minute, start passing on the right.”

Tarte told The Charlotte Observer that he mirror the bill after laws on the books in Florida and Georgia, and said that 45 other states in the U.S. already have left-lane yield laws.

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