Florida senate passes anti pokey left lane drivers law

[FLPanhandle]

http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/04/06/2153582/fla-senate-wants-left-lane-drivers.html

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- The Florida Senate has passed a bill aimed at reducing road rage by requiring motorists driving in the far left lane of a multiple lane road or highway to move to the right to let faster vehicles pass them.

The bill (SB 244) that won approval Wednesday would allow police to ticket violators for aggressive careless driving.



I'll give these guys a thumbs up for this one. Maybe those folks who are self-appointed "speed limit" blockers will get ticketed now.

[Cid_B]

1. but but but....

I'm doing the speed limit and no one should be going any faster!

__________________

Seriously though, I never saw so many asshole truckers trying to pass uphill in a two lane until I came back to the US.

[FLPanhandle]

2. Here in Florida we have the old retired folks.

No schedule, all the time in the world, and think nothing of sitting in the left lane just trying to slow the world down to their pace.

[Motown_Johnny]

3. so, should the cop pull over the speeder trying to pass or the one doing the limit?

It will be interesting to see who gets the tickets here. This sounds to me like a law that simply won't be enforced.

[FLPanhandle]

8. From a revenue perspective

Aggressive Careless Driving sounds more expensive than a Speeding ticket.

The police might have more incentive/pressure to go after the slow poke.

[Motown_Johnny]

16. and when you go to court and tell the judge

"I was driving the speed limit and was pulled over because someone breaking the speed limit wanted to pass me."


How do you think that one is going to go over?


If I were the cop I would go after the speeder, but maybe it is just me.

[FLPanhandle]

18. Won't matter to the Judge

Judges don't care if others were going faster when if you get a speeding ticket. Most judges will say "it doesn't matter what others were doing, are you guilty of breaking this law?".

[lpbk2713]

4. Now if they could just do something about ...

the drivers who go for miles with their left turn signal on. :eyes:

[Wilms]

5. Damn! The left lane is the easiest one to drive in while on a cell phone.

[ret5hd]

9. bad bad BAD Wilms!

:rofl:

man, if you could just work Olive Garden in there somewhere.

[LiberalEsto]

10. Now they need a law banning Olive Gardens

from being built on the left sides of roads.

[undeterred]

6. I would be in favor of a law which gets road rage drivers off the road.

It seems road rage is directly related to the personality trait of narcissism, in which the driver thinks everything in the world should be about him.

[BillStein]

14. huh?

Really? And people who drive slow in the left lane do are altruists?

If you want to lessen road rage, pull over!

[undeterred]

17. I don't have road rage and I don't drive slow in the left lane.

But there is something wrong with people who drive around in a state of rage all the time.

[FLPanhandle]

20. It's about having good driving manners

Most folks would never react enough to engage in road rage, but even we somewhat sane drivers can be privately annoyed at folks who don't have common courtesy.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

24. As a motorcyclist, for me it is not road rage, its terror induced by the brainless cagers who are

clearly trying to kill me. Like any long time motorcyclist, I have stories...lots of stories.

[FLPanhandle]

25. It's what bonds us motorcycle riders

No matter what we ride, we've all been out there. Oh the stories...

[Dappleganger]

7. ONE good bill which they have passed.

This state is plagued with slow left lane drivers who are a danger to others on the road.

[monmouth]

12. Plus the fact they can't see over the steering wheel. Scary..n/t

[Le Taz Hot]

23. Who is "they?"

Just curious.

[monmouth]

31. Many short seniors....n/t

[Coyote_Bandit]

11. And anyone who is driving at the maximum speed limit

shoud be permitted to drive in that lane.

I don't care how fucking inconvenient it is, there ought not be a law to facilitate law-breaking.

[FLPanhandle]

13. Or the person doing the speed limit can just move over in the right hand lane

and not be an asshole or self appointed speed limit enforcer.

A little common courtesy goes a long way to stop road rage.

[Cid_B]

15. Thank God for our self appointed guardians...

... of vice and virtue. What would we do without them? :eyes:

[Coyote_Bandit]

28. How fucking arrogant

If traffic is heavy then the person doing the maximum speed limit has just as much right to drive in that outside lane as anyone else. Granted, people who are driving below the speed limit ought to keep to the right.

Just because somebody thinks they need to drive faster than the speed limit does not mean it is legally permitted. That's why a cop can stop and ticket them, traffic court can find them guilty and impose penalties, and the state department of motor vehicles can assess points against their driving privileges. If they ever want to get a professional license or be bonded they may need to disclose all their traffic violations. If they have a long history of traffic violations that can be a problem because it is an indicator that they have shown blatant disregard for the law. One of my law school classmates had to solicit professors, classmates and friends to testify to his moral character to qualify for admission to the bar for that very reason.

If somebody has to drive faster than the maximum speed limit then they need to pay attention, plan ahead, get their ass in gear, allow enough time to get wherever they have to go and actually leave in time to get there. That is common courtesy.

Speeding, driving aggressively, tailgating, weaving in and out of traffic lanes, passing on the shoulder, not permitting other vehicles to merge into traffic or change lanes is not courteous driving. Courtesy is a matter of showing favor, indulgence, respect and consideration. Those who choose not to abide by the rules of the road - including the speed limit - fail to exhibit this behavior.

If somebody is driving aggressively and I hack them off because I'm driving the maximum speed limit then so be it. That's their problem - and I will exercise the self-discipline to ignore them without making eye contact or offering what might be a well deserved one finger salute. This is a concealed carry state and I have no reservations defending myself against an aggressor should it be necessary - or taking them to court and putting them in bankruptcy if they inflict injury to my person or property.

I live in a state with a similar law. If the speed limit is 65 and traffic is heavy then I'm going to be driving 65 in the outside lane. Folks here do not get ticketed for that and it is common practice. That outsde lane is not reserved for speeders. The assholes driving 70 in that outside lane do get ticketed here. Three of the last five days I've seen the motorcycle cop brigade out on our highways doing just that.

My personal opinion is that traffic and speed laws ought to be more aggressively enforced. It would make the roads more civil. It would be a good source of revenue paid by folks who volunteer to make that payment by their choice of driving habits.

[Cid_B]

29. You had one important sentence in all that...

"That's why a cop can stop and ticket them, traffic court can find them guilty and impose penalties, and the state department of motor vehicles can assess points against their driving privileges."

Unless you fall into one of those categories... mind your own business.

[spin]

30. Most Floridians drive 5 to 10 mph ABOVE the speed limits ...

The police in Florida generally ignore this, therefore they do not see 5 to 10 mph over as true law-breaking.

Polite and responsible drivers do not hog the passing lane. I pass and pull over.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

19. We've had that law in Illinois for a few years but it doesn't seem to get enforced.

And it's not just about letting speeders speed. Sometimes you need to get around a bad driver in the right lane (uneven speeds, signals blinking for blocks, lost in a cell phone conversation, etc.) but there's some hall monitor blocking things inthe left lane.

[sinkingfeeling]

21. Does that include the 3 or 4 lane raceway through construction zones with 45 MPH limits, known as

I-95, between the Georgia border and Gainsville?

[Turbineguy]

22. Good idea

Slowing down unhelmeted motorcyclists doing 85-90 mph reduces the organ transplant pool.

[One_Life_To_Give]

26. What!! Then Speed Traps might become effective again!!

Just imagine them racing down the left lane into a speed trap. Rather than trying desperately to CutOff the vigilante and not caring who gets run off the road in the process.

[NoGOPZone]

27. Self appointed speed limit blocker?. It's appears you're the one doing the appointment

Consider the possibility that there are people driving at that speed for reasons other than to keep others from doing so.

Also note that there is an exception for driving the speed limit 'while not impeding the flow of traffic', which is subject to intrepretation.

[ParkieDem]

32. Yes! Yes! Yes!

Florida does something right for a change!

Slow drivers piss me off more than anything. Maybe it's a shallow pet peeve, but the stats show that a disparity in speeds is what causes most highway accidents. Minimum speeds need to be enforced on major highways, and I applaud Florida for taking this step.

Now we need to raise speed limits even more!

[Duer 157099]

33. Can someone show me the DMV code that says

that it is OK to exceed the speed limit if everybody else is doing so?

And please don't just show me the part about "slower drivers move to the right" unless it specifically addresses the issue of speed limits.