Laws say slower traffic must keep to the right
 No comments posted.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008 10:16 AM CDT
For the Herald
According to a hit-song of the 1970s, life in the fast lane will surely make you lose your mind. To protect your sanity as well as your safety, it’s often wise to let faster-moving vehicles just pass you by.
This is especially true while driving on Interstate highways and other multiple-lane roadways. If you’re traveling slower than other vehicles, you can help traffic move more safely and efficiently by staying in the right lane as much as possible.
According to Wisconsin law, any vehicle traveling “at less than the normal speed of traffic” is required to be driven in the right lane (or as close as practicable) except when overtaking or passing another vehicle. A citation for violating this law costs $198.60 with four demerit points assessed on the driver’s license.
“Even when you’re driving at the posted speed limit, you should allow faster moving vehicles to pass. Trying to force other drivers to slow down by blocking the left lane does not make our highways safer. Instead, it can lead to more tailgating, road rage and other problems,” says Captain Douglas Notbohm of the Wisconsin State Patrol Northwest Region. “We hope that drivers will leave enforcement of speed limits to our troopers and other law enforcement officers.“
The State Patrol advises motorists to follow these guidelines to help maintain a safe flow of traffic on Interstates and other divided highways:
- If you’re not passing another vehicle, use the right lane as much as possible.
- If you’re in the right lane, allow other drivers to merge from the left lane into the right lane so that faster traffic can pass in the left lane. In addition, provide space for vehicles to merge into the right lane when they are entering a roadway from an on-ramp.
- If you’re in the left lane, don’t tailgate or try to make a slower vehicle ahead of you move to the right lane. Be patient and courteous.
Captain Notbohm says, “When slower moving vehicles use the right lane, traffic flows more smoothly with less congestion and road rage, which certainly helps make our highways safer and more efficient.”
|
Archives