Slow and steady loses the race in North Carolina as new left lane law comes in for slow drivers

The new left lane law in North Carolina, courtesy of House Bill 864, is putting the brakes on slow drivers who think they can just cruise along in the fast lane.

The state has officially joined the long list of places cracking down on so-called ‘left-lane bandits’: motorists who linger in the passing lane while everyone else seethes behind them.

It’s part of House Bill 864, and it’s bringing some serious consequences for dawdlers and diesel trucks alike.

In short, if you’re not keeping up, move over; if you don’t, be prepared to pay up.

SBX CARS – View live supercar auctions powered by Supercar Blondie

New left lane law also sets minimum speeds

The new left lane law states that ‘no person shall operate a motor vehicle in the left lane of a multilane highway at a speed that impedes the normal and reasonable movement of traffic’.

Translation: hog the left lane and you could be hit with a fine.

Basically, the aim is to keep traffic flowing smoothly.

Drivers in North Carolina have long joked about these ‘left-lane campers’, but now it’s become less of a laugh with the introduction of House Bill 864.

The bill also sets minimum highway speeds based on posted speed limits.

Drivers will now need to stay within 10 mph of the posted limit.

This means that on a 70-mph stretch of highway, you can’t go slower than 60 mph unless safety truly demands it.

On roads posted at 65 mph, the minimum is 55; for 60-mph roads, it’s 50; and for 55-mph routes, it’s 45.

In other words, if your car is crawling well below the limit for no good reason, you’re no longer a mere annoyance; you’re actually breaking the law.

Enforcement will mostly fall to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, though any officer qualified to enforce traffic laws can join in.

For truckers, there’s another important twist.

Big rigs over 26,001 pounds are officially banned from the left-most lane on six-lane highways, except when entering or exiting.

This means no matter how fast you go, you need to stay out of the fast lane if you’re a truck driver.

Many states are cracking down on slow drivers

North Carolina isn’t alone in its mission to speed things up.

Connecticut already has a new ‘highway camping law’ that penalizes slow drivers, and Arizona may soon introduce a similar law of its own.

In fact, Louisiana drivers could face jail for driving just 1mph below the speed limit, which is pretty wild.

Of course, slowpokes on highways are not the only problems that states face.

In West Virginia, it’s quite the reverse; drivers face up to 60 days in jail if they don’t slow down and move over for a stranded vehicle on the side of the road.

It turns out that if you’re driving and want to avoid trouble, you need to channel your inner Goldilocks and drive at just the right speed.

DISCOVER SBX CARS: The global premium car auction platform powered by Supercar Blondie