Lakeland, Florida, Residents: Right-Hand Turn Lane is Not for Speeding

Inevitably, it happens. You are driving down a highway, you come to a light and as you pass through the light, the far right-hand lane you have been traveling in turns to a "right turn only" lane. You have just a few feet before the lane ends. You slow your pace, turn on your left signal and wait to merge back into the flow of traffic.

Unfortunately, many people have chosen to use this lane as a "speed lane" to get in front of traffic that has stopped at the light just before the lane changes to a "right turn only" lane. More specifically, it is the light on U.S. Highway 98 North and W. Daughtery Road in Lakeland, Florida, as you are heading north. I see this every morning and afternoon as I take my children to and from school. It is generally the same vehicles everyday and is an accident waiting to happen I'm sure it is not just this area in Lakeland, Florida, but all around the country and it needs to be addressed before someone is hurt or killed.

It invokes road rage and I have witnessed countless times where a vehicle in the lane next to the far right has noticed that the person in the far right wishes to use their lane as a speed lane. The two vehicles race off as soon as the light changes green. Often times, two or three vehicles will go bumper to bumper to prevent the person in the far right from merging over because they know the person is trying to speed ahead of traffic illegally. This in turns, angers the speeding driver and they will go even faster, sometimes diving off into the grass as the "right turn only" lane comes to an end, just to speed past traffic. How long before this causes a terrible wreck?

It's sad to know that it generally takes a tragedy before change comes about. But I wish to put awareness to this problem out there before a tragedy strikes. Is passing three or four vehicles really worth putting someone's life at risk? You are not even gaining seconds before you have to stop at the next light anyway. How many times have you passed someone or has someone passed you, only to arrive at the next light at the same time? The only difference is, one person used more gas than the other to get there.

The scariest part is, I see school buses being passed by drivers who use the "right turn only" lane as a speed lane. School buses full of children whose lives are being endangered because someone did not want to be behind them.

The "right turn only" lane is not a speed lane. Please, be more cautious. Think of others around you . Do not put your life and the lives of others at risk.