Nothing kills the joy of the open road like someone going too slow in the left lane, but the lane loitering law, put in place last July, is geared toward keeping the flow of traffic steady.
"Often times we call it being camped out in the left lane and its fine if you are passing. But if you just want to drive 65 in a 65 zone, the left lane is not the lane for you," said Trooper Matt McLaughlin with the Nevada Highway Patrol (NHP).
And if an officer catches you, it can be a costly citation, ranging from 150 to 300 dollars. Plus, you get 2 points on your license.
NHP has written over 113 citations on lane loitering and impeding traffic since last year. The reasoning for this law has to do as much for public safety reducing road rage as it is for emergency situations.
"Emergency vehicles travel with their lights and sirens on, the left lane is designed so we can get to where we need to go in an expeditious manner,” said McLaughlin.
There already is a similar law on the books, the impeding traffic law, but this one is focused on interstates outside of city limits, and keeps drivers from just sitting in the fast lane.
Adhering to this law can even reduce the amount of crashes on our highways.
“Some are going way too fast in that lane, so if you are going slow and they are trying to slam on their breaks and they hit them in the back or they are getting out of the way, so if you know to stay on the right side if you are going slower, it’s just a little bit easier," said Cold Springs resident Ian Kirkpatrick.
NHP recommends that you move over for speeders as well, better they get the speeding ticket than you get the lane loitering ticket.
