Left Lane Lingering and Your Commute

Slow moving traffic. Longer commutes. Is it a wonder that people are frustrated when they get behind the wheel of a car? Let's face it, today's world is an on-the-move, no-time-to-waste society. Dealing with traffic and slow moving drivers is the last thing any busy person wants to deal with. Unfortunately when it comes to our daily grind there isn't much choice. If you examine the causes of frustration, simmering tempers and flat out road rage that often leads to violence there are many culprits. There are the recklessly fast drivers, the dangerous in and out of lane weavers, cell phone users and texters. But for the purpose of this article I'd like to focus on another type of on the road hazard, or better yet, nuisance. The left lane slow pokes.

You know who I'm talking about, the drivers who jump over into the left lane and bring everyone to a crawl behind them causing a ripple effect that can be devastating on a morning or evening commute. The left lane camper that gets in front of you, not to pass but to camp out for awhile and raise your blood pressure.

Why do slow drivers insist on making their way over to the left lane in the first place?

Is it a belief that they need to help slow down traffic that they feel is going too fast? Perhaps it's in order to avoid dealing with traffic that is merging onto the freeway via the right hand lane. It could even be a desire not to get stuck behind even slower moving vehicles than their own.

What ever the cause, slow moving drivers could be violating the law. Lawmakers across the country are cracking down on drivers who impede the flow of traffic in efforts to reduce incidences of road rage and accidents that are a result of such driving behavior. In some state such as Washington, Pennsylvania and New Jersey the left hand lane is for passing only or traveling at a speed greater than traffic. Others states allow left lane driving but specify that you must move to the right if you are impeding the flow of traffic. Although historically law enforcement officials have been lax in actually enforcing these laws, more warnings and tickets are now being given to offenders.

Consequently, with more tickets, comes the added down of increased insurance prices. As with any ticket for a moving violation, receiving a ticket for slowing down the left lane can have a negative effect on insurance rates.

And it isn't just the police who are coming down on slow drivers. Organizations and websites have popped up to address this very real concern for some drivers who are fed up with being stuck behind crawling cars. One such example is Left Lane Drivers of America an organization dedicated to getting slow drivers to REVO EVOM with decals that when viewed through the offenders rear view mirror reads: MOVE OVER with an arrow pointing to the right. Is this rude or poor road etiquette? Does this incite more road rage than a willingness to move to the right? Consider how that make you feel to have a car riding your tailpipe with that command on their windshield.

Regardless of whether you feel that forming organizations and plastering decals on windshield is a bit of overkill or not, traffic congestion is a real problem that needs real solutions. Courtesy on the road by all drivers can and would go a long way in improving the state our highways. And for those of you irritated beyond belief by that slow driver in front of you, don't lose your cool or your license by acting out in a way that may get you a ticket or jail time, remember good driving starts with you.