Florida Highway Patrol Will Ticket You For Driving In Left Lane

Can all states do this please! Pretty please!

"The left lane is meant for passing only, and if you're caught riding in this lane, you could get a $161 fine and up to three points on your license.

Driving in the left lane leads to traffic congestion and road rage according to Florida Highway Patrol's Lieutenant Greg Bueno. Lt. Bueno said this issue is a growing problem in every county in Florida and is entirely up to the discretion of the trooper whether to pull you over and ticket you."


Maybe once they have this left lane thing figured out they can teach people how to use a roundabout. (and start ticketing the hell out of people)
I don't know where everyone else is, but here in Wisconsin there are roundabouts everywhere and it seems nobody knows how to use them.
It is downright terrifying at times. I've known several people that have had accidents in them. Most people don't even know that you aren't supposed to ride alongside a truck when using a roundabout, I'm sure that always makes the truckers crazy!

originally posted by: JAGStorm
Can all states do this please! Pretty please!

"The left lane is meant for passing only, and if you're caught riding in this lane, you could get a $161 fine and up to three points on your license.

Driving in the left lane leads to traffic congestion and road rage according to Florida Highway Patrol's Lieutenant Greg Bueno. Lt. Bueno said this issue is a growing problem in every county in Florida and is entirely up to the discretion of the trooper whether to pull you over and ticket you."


Maybe once they have this left lane thing figured out they can teach people how to use a roundabout. (and start ticketing the hell out of people)
I don't know where everyone else is, but here in Wisconsin there are roundabouts everywhere and it seems nobody knows how to use them.
It is downright terrifying at times. I've known several people that have had accidents in them. Most people don't even know that you aren't supposed to ride alongside a truck when using a roundabout, I'm sure that always makes the truckers crazy!

Left lane hogs are annoying. The bigger issue is that they aren't paying attention. If you are in the left lane and constantly being passed on the right, you are driving to god damn slow! Move over.

A pet peeve of mine is that where I live, we have some left lane entrance ramps. These always cause back ups for miles because the people merging drive too slow. Hey idiot, you are merging into traffic doing 70mph, you can't merge doing 45! The thing that kills me is the entrance ramp is literally about 1/4 mile long and down hill yet these people can't seem to accelerate to speed to merge safely.

Yes! This is actually a thing in a lot of places.

At least 38 states have laws in place to fine drivers for lingering in the left lane. In five states, fines can reach $1000 and 22 states classify the violation as a misdemeanor.

(Source)

As for teaching everyone how to use roundabouts, good luck with that!

a reply to: Edumakated

Unfortunately I known your pain, (I'm assuming you are talking about Chicago)
I endured Chicago traffic for a couple of decades. God only knows how many hours I wasted on those roads!
In Illinois going North / South was never a problem, it is the whole East / West that is really jacked up. Very very bad planning. I always get a rude awakening when I travel back down there, the way people drive is completely different, and i'm sorry to say Chicago has some of the worst drivers (I think Atlanta takes first).



I find it funny when people up here complain about traffic, there is none, all cars moving and they still complain!!
The roundabouts are bad though.

a reply to: JAGStorm

The Dutch have the same law as most free-way's here are 2 lanes only. (It's a small country.) Overtake, and then join the right-hand lane again.

originally posted by: JAGStorm
a reply to: Edumakated

Unfortunately I known your pain, (I'm assuming you are talking about Chicago)
I endured Chicago traffic for a couple of decades. God only knows how many hours I wasted on those roads!
In Illinois going North / South was never a problem, it is the whole East / West that is really jacked up. Very very bad planning. I always get a rude awakening when I travel back down there, the way people drive is completely different, and i'm sorry to say Chicago has some of the worst drivers (I think Atlanta takes first).



I find it funny when people up here complain about traffic, there is none, all cars moving and they still complain!!
The roundabouts are bad though.

Yeah, talking about 290.

Chicago has the worst drivers in the country imho. They are the most selfish, impatient, and aggressive drivers I've ever seen other maybe Eastern Europe or Asia where there are virtually no rules of the road. The sh*t I see drivers doing here on a daily basis is just mind boggling to me.

Atlanta (my hometown) is no where near Chicago in terms of rudeness. They drive fast down there... I mean 285 is just a big NASCAR track surrounding the city. However, they don't cut you off or drive in emergency lanes or parking lanes. They don't bust U turns mid block on Peachtree street. They certainly don't honk at you to go BEFORE the light has even turned green.

Chicago has this thing where we like to drag race cars off stop lights. Some of the streets go from 2 lanes to 1 lane. There will be say 2 cars sitting at a stop light. Instead of pulling up and being the third car in line, Chicago drivers go over in the turn/parking lane. Light turns green, they will then damn near do a burn out so they can try to cut back over before the lane shrinks back down to 1 lane. It is really annoying. Sometimes, they are so impatient, they literally run the red light to get ahead so they can cut back over.

Every day, I see someone using a left turn lane to avoid waiting in a line of say four cars at a stop light. Instead of turning left, they drive out into the intersection and keep straight.

Drive right, pass left.
(Autobahn rules)

agreed however i hate to see when an officer is empowered to judge when someone is using the left lane to often. Officers have very little schooling and most are pretty ignorant and the courts in the us are a sham.

originally posted by: Saiker
agreed however i hate to see when an officer is empowered to judge when someone is using the left lane to often. Officers have very little schooling and most are pretty ignorant and the courts in the us are a sham.

It is pretty obvious when someone is hogging up the left lane... If cars are constantly passing on the right or there is a line of cars 20 deep behind them, they are driving too slow and hogging up the lane.

In most areas, if you aren't driving 70-80mph, then you don't need to be in the left lane.

a reply to: Edumakated

in most cases if your driving 70 to 80 the officer should be stopping you for speeding not stopping motorist whom are driving the speed limit. While its seems quite obvious who is hogging the left lane I fear it could become subjective when profiling and quotas become a concern.

originally posted by: Edumakated

originally posted by: JAGStorm
Can all states do this please! Pretty please!

"The left lane is meant for passing only, and if you're caught riding in this lane, you could get a $161 fine and up to three points on your license.

Driving in the left lane leads to traffic congestion and road rage according to Florida Highway Patrol's Lieutenant Greg Bueno. Lt. Bueno said this issue is a growing problem in every county in Florida and is entirely up to the discretion of the trooper whether to pull you over and ticket you."


Maybe once they have this left lane thing figured out they can teach people how to use a roundabout. (and start ticketing the hell out of people)
I don't know where everyone else is, but here in Wisconsin there are roundabouts everywhere and it seems nobody knows how to use them.
It is downright terrifying at times. I've known several people that have had accidents in them. Most people don't even know that you aren't supposed to ride alongside a truck when using a roundabout, I'm sure that always makes the truckers crazy!

Left lane hogs are annoying. The bigger issue is that they aren't paying attention. If you are in the left lane and constantly being passed on the right, you are driving to god damn slow! Move over.

A pet peeve of mine is that where I live, we have some left lane entrance ramps. These always cause back ups for miles because the people merging drive too slow. Hey idiot, you are merging into traffic doing 70mph, you can't merge doing 45! The thing that kills me is the entrance ramp is literally about 1/4 mile long and down hill yet these people can't seem to accelerate to speed to merge safely.

Driving in the Loop or getting on at like Madison/Jackson/etc. is a joke.
I avoid downtown like the plague.

The problem to me seems to be, the sudden and massive influx of out of town drivers.
Be they of the Uber/Lyft variety, taxi drivers, or just tourists or worse, fresh meat newbies.
They tend to have no clue where they are, where they're going, or how to get there.
You can always tell when it isn't a Chicagoan.
Dont even get me started on the people who want to drive 45 in the left lane. I have no use for them.
These laws or ordinances wouldn't be necessary if people had the necessary competence needed to drive in a city. Oh, and a basic idea of courtesy and geometry would help too.

You have to know how to drive in Chicago.
There is no mercy. There are no limits.
Drive or get driven off the road.

Ugh. It will only worsen I think.
Flying cars coming soon?
Oh what a tangled web we weave...

originally posted by: Saiker
a reply to: Edumakated

in most cases if your driving 70 to 80 the officer should be stopping you for speeding not stopping motorist whom are driving the speed limit. While its seems quite obvious who is hogging the left lane I fear it could become subjective when profiling and quotas become a concern.

90% of the time the cops are not there to catch "speeder" per se, they want to stop people that are driving dangerously at any speed.

originally posted by: Saiker
a reply to: Edumakated

in most cases if your driving 70 to 80 the officer should be stopping you for speeding not stopping motorist whom are driving the speed limit. While its seems quite obvious who is hogging the left lane I fear it could become subjective when profiling and quotas become a concern.

That is the natural flow of traffic. The reality is driving slower than the majority is far more dangerous as it causes drivers to need to pass / change lanes to avoid the obstruction.

If everyone is doing 45 and you are doing 80, then yes, that is reckless and dangerous. However, regardless of a posted 55 speed limit, if everyone is doing 70-75 as that is the natural flow of traffic and you sit in the left lane or middle lanes doing 55, it is you who are driving unsafe.

This is why police are even starting to ticket people in the left lane as they know slow drivers cause traffic congestion and create dangerous situations REGARDLESS of the posted speed limit.

My dad was a cop. I was always taught to drive with the flow of traffic. This is where JUDGMENT comes in.

Only time I've ever receive a ticket for doing say like 80mph was a speed trap on a lightly traveled highway out in the middle of bumblestank. It was a clear revenue grab by some small hick town.

a reply to: Saiker

Here in DFW, getting pulled over for doing 70-80mph would be unheard of. The speed limit on the highway I use most often is 70mph (or 75mph in the express lane). Some highways around here go up to 80mph, and one has a posted speed limit of 85mph. In my experience, cars are often going 75-80mph just to keep up with the flow of traffic so that they don't pose a danger to others by driving significantly slower than everyone else and getting in the way.

Atlanta is the worst. Really scary. It's where I first learned to drive and all the yankees that moved there just brought their aggressive driving habits with them and it spread like a cancer.

However, Tampa metro area is by far the most frightening driving I have ever experienced in my life.

The police don't even try to pull over speeders and dangerous drivers. It's all they can do to respond to all the horrible accidents. St Pete is number one in the country for killing pedestrians and bicycle riders.

Possibly increased due to all the oldsters here, the accidents mostly appear caused by young aggressive drivers and just the enormity of drivers on the road. I never worry about being stopped. You can hardly ever find any police anywhere-they are just too busy with all the crazy druggies.

As far as roundabouts go, why did we bring such a European loser idea to the US? We dont like them or understand the craziness of slowing down and having to drive around-just dumb. Trying to slow American drivers by going in a circle? Time to let that one die out.

a reply to: Justso

I have to agree with you on Atlanta.

I thought Tampa was ok, but I did almost see a car hit a pedestrian there. The pedestrian would have been at fault. There are a lot of people just in a haze, and just walk in and out of the streets.

You are supposed to be in the right lane except to pass here. But if you tell the cop you were staying in the left lane because you are going to be turning across the highway ahead to pull into a place or road they will not give you a ticket. You need to get into that lane to get into the turning lane here on our highway, you can't always swing into that lane if someone is passing or just in that lane. I had a warning many years ago and I told the cop if I am going to turn I prepare ahead of time. But if they follow you for five miles, that excuse will not work. They have that law in many states including Michigan.

a reply to: JAGStorm

That's some bull#. I can see if you are holding the left lane like you own it and slowing people down. If there is no one behind you, no infraction! Being mandated to the right when you are driving faster the others around will obligate lane changes into the left from the right. So the excuse, to minimize lane changes is bogus and forces what it says it prevents.

It's been this way in Texas and Louisiana for many years but no one enforces it. This is my pet peeve because I like to drive faster than everyone in front of me!!!

Especially in Houston! Those slow bastards!

a reply to: Antipathy17

Most of the time people forget to merge back into the driving lane. I see drivers do this often on an empty road. When I come up behind them, the pricks refuse to move over.

I say... If you're driving slower than the guy behind you or next to you, you should move to the right until you are the slowest of them all...