ABC News: Colo. Cracks Down on Left-Lane Dawdling — Good idea!
DENVER Apr 4, 2005 — Colorado is serious about its no-dawdling law in left lanes. Drivers who insist on staying in the passing lane are risking tickets as the State Patrol has begun enforcing a law requiring motorists to use the left lane for passing only.
Since the patrol started enforcing the “Left Lane Law” three months ago, troopers have written about 460 tickets or about an average of five a day to drivers who dawdle in the left lane.
P. McEntee
A guy arrived in NYC from Ireland and got a job at Macys and then quit. He applied for a job as a police officer. So the chief asks him why he wants to join the police force. To which he replies, in this business the customer is always wrong.
I’ve noticed this problem a lot lately. The speed limit is 70 but there are plenty of people in the far left lane driving 65 or less. No matter how many people pass them on the right, they stick to the far left.
I blame cruise control. Before cruise control, we’d actually pass cars. I.e., we’d speed up and get around them, then slow back down. Now people simply set their speed and drive. By sticking in the far left lane they are less likely to have to slow down or pass.
I was wondering why this was not taught or on the Driver Licience booklet before? In other states this has always been the law. It was always concidered to be concederate of others and just part of driving. I hope this will work.
As I drive to Denver,I find that once people are in the left lane they stay there and rarly do they let anyone into the left lane to pass the slower cars and not have abottle neck in traffic.
This is bad but I pass more people when I am in the right lane. As we drive right passing in the left and then moving over into the right lane I find others following my lead. I just wonder if this was not taught when they were learningto drive or just part of the spaced out and large SUV syndrom. I drive a sedan. I also think that if the other traffic would follow the speed limit 65/75, and not impead others, in the designated areas, the traffic would flow better and there would not be so many left laners.
So many older people and ones who need to concentrate a litte better on their driving and not on their cell phones.
Th other question is why isn’t this I 25 a 3 lane road all the way from Castle Rock through Colorado Springs into Southern El Passo County ? I really don;’t understand people in position of athourty who can’t make a common sence decision. It seem that whey would rather do it twice than a very good once. This is not American. Americans pride themself’s on doing a good job and not ashamed to put his name on a project finished.
I have finally found a law enforcement policy I can get behind. Go Troopers!
How does the police identify these dawdlers? After seeing someone overtaking them from the right?
Pffft…This is not a good idea. Basically, you are turning your highway into a single lane. I like the German law better whereby if someone comes up behind you, you are compelled to move to the right to let them pass.
We’ve had this in IL for a while now. The ISP is supposed to be enforcing it, but they’ve repeatedly said “we have no way of knowing if someone is hanging out in the left late”. I personally hate the law since the left lane (on 3-lane interstates) is the only one where big-rigs are banned meaning I don’t have to get stuck behind them doing 55 when I’m doing 65+. (IL has a law that says trucks are 55mph regardless of what the speed limit is for the tollway)
-A
Well, there’s also flicking the headlights on and off, but some people seem not to notice.
I once *had* to overtake this lady from the right after signalling three times (she should have seen me coming anyway, she was well below speed limit (120km/h – around 70mph here in Portugal) and I was, let’s say, around the speed limit 😉
When I was on her right I was going to honk to ‘let her know’ she was being an ass, but then I SAW she was just looking down and talking on the phone!!!!!!!!!!!! At around 60 mph!!! If I honked maybe we’d go both to hell, so I just went turbo and disappeared.
Talking on the phone while driving is illegal here too, btw. Maybe car manufacturers could build some sort of detector where if a cellular was working inside the car, the car would stop (or maybe just beep and make the driver’s life miserable)? Something like that… Or cellular phones that didn’t work when going more than 6 mph? I know these aren’t the most thought-through ideas, but maybe somebody could think of some better tech solution to this problem?
It’s about time. It’s amazing that you can get on an American highway and have a row of 4 or 5 cars abreast, all going the same speed in their own lane and their own little world. Meanwhile, no one can pass.
It’s a pain to have to change lanes constantly to go around people, but following that convention is what allows one to pass in the first place. Otherwise, there will be a car in the left lane where you would like to pass. In Europe, most “Interstates” are only 2 lanes wide, so it’s the only way the system can function. The German law is better, I agree, but I think that’s even harder to enforce than just “The left lane is for passing only”.
Also, please don’t blame this on SUVs. People buy SUVs for lots of reasons, not just because they are selfish and want to increase our dependence on foreign oil.
Dwadlers cause more accidents than anybody.
If people would move over when somebody comes up behind them, there wouldn’t be a problem, but some have the idea that they own the passing lane to the extent that they will purposely slow down if they know you want to pass.
All they need to do is get a life instead of being so contentious with everybody in their miserable lives.
Out here in Northern CA, doing 70 in the fast lane is impeding traffic. Most everyone is driving 80-85 and sometimes I get passed by people doing close to 100 (usually an oblivious woman in a Corolla or Civic). Flashing lights doesn’t usually work here. You just have to go around the slow pokes, cut back in front of them real close and then tap your brakes lightly a couple of times. Maybe they’ll panic and crash into the divider and get the message that way. Or if you are feeling particularly nasty, get in front of them and then slow way down for a little bit. You just have to hope that they don’t have a gun and don’t shoot you. [lol]
Regardless of what the “speed” limit is or what speed you are driving, if someone wants to pass you and you are in the left lane, MOVE OVER.
Sounds like a speed trap to me. Maybe I don’t understand the reason for the law because here in L.A. we usually have 3 to 5 lanes. If we are not stuck in traffic we usually travel well over the speed limit. It doesn’t make sense for traffic to have to yield to those going 20, 25mph over the speed limit (people actually do try to drive constantly at these speeds). I have to say, unlike the German autobahn or Italy’s autostrade our roads are not designed for those high speeds. They are choppy unfinished concrete – not Germany’s 27” thick asphalt highways with only 4 percent grades.
Hello,
Hey just an FYI I have a site dedicated to this issue….have had it up for years. Actually in the process of building the new one. In the meantime I’d like to invite you to check out what is currently up.
Sincerely,
Jon Severson
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Jon T.O. Severson, President
DriveRightPassLeft.com
Colorado Springs, CO
“How do YOU feel about slow left lane drivers?”