Left Lane Law Crazy?

For those of you who do not live in Illinois, this may be of no concern to you, but I do have a crazy assumption of why our Gov. pushed the “Left Lane Law” through, so please read on.  Those who don't know the law that was put into effect on January 1, 2004, it states that for any four or more lane highway, motor vehicles cannot drive in the left lane unless overtaking another vehicle.

To me, this is just crazy...why do we need a law for this type of thing...well I've come up with a few assumptions of why:

  1. People are stupid, and some people like to drive the speed limit in the left lane, thus inhibiting other people to pass them on the left and make us pass them on the right.
  2. It allows police officers to more easily determine the “speeders” out on the road (like me).
  3. We just needed another stupid law to put some extra money in the senator's pockets.

Driving back to my parents house tonight numbers 1 & 2 were just plain obvious, as I had to pass several cars on the right hand side and slow down several times as my Valentine One started blaring in my ear.  Either way, I think this law is just plain stupid. What are your thoughts?

14 Comments

  • They have the same thing in Kentucky, which I drive through to get to me parents house, but I don't really worry about it. I am usually driving fast enough that I passing all the people that are in the right lane, and I only get in the right lane when someone wants to drive even faster than me.



    -James

  • Wow... must be nice to have that kind of bandwidth on your highways... :/



    Here in Los Angeles that could never work... Just toooooooo many cars for our freeways. Or is it not enough freeways for our cars?)



    Plus our Governator wouldn't let it happen. I just can't see him NOT driving his Hummer in the fast, left most, lane.

  • Wow, I'm from St. Louis and I've heard many people complain about people from Illinois always driving slow in the left lane in Missouri. I always thought it was a joke but I guess it really is an issue.

  • I'm originally from St. Louis, and when I was back over the holidays I heard the news of this.



    Personally, I think this is great because of point #1. Many people just drive along in the left hand line (even in St. Louis, the drive from St. Louis to Columbia comes to mind) and it makes it a pain to pass them. They'll even create lines of people behind them. What's particularly annoying is when someone is going the same speed as the person next to them!



    As for the police detecting speeders, I don't think this is the case. If you're speeding along in the right lane it'll still be obvious, especially on a 4 lane highway. On an 8 lane highway it'd probably be less obvious, but you could also easily be speeding along in the 2nd to left lane too.



    As for more money that's certainly true, but I don't like people who drive in the left lane, so I'm willing to take their money for it :).



    I think there should be some exceptions though. What do you in bumper to bumper traffic? Everyone's going the same speed, even the people in the left lane. Can some asshole cop get out and just walk down the highway giving them all tickets?




  • You think Illinoians are bad, you should drive in Wisconsin...they're old, slow, and listen to the latest & greatest music...which by the way, they've finally made it to 1980s!

  • I usually avoid commenting on how drivers are in one state versus another (because invariably, the speaker's state has the worst drivers, or perhaps it's the place the speaker just moved to that has the worst drivers, etc :-)... but I've definitely seen that around the seattle area, drivers tend to drive close to the speed limit. I grew up in Illinois, and if you went below 70 or 75 on the highways near my house (88, 294, etc) you would see other cars whizzing by you.



    Is it because washington police ticket more frequently or publicly? I really don't know. It's also pretty subjective.

  • I'll second the Wisconson comment. The bass boat pulling, beer drinking, cheese eating people combined with the insane Chicago drives makes for an interesting weekend drive to the cabin...

  • It's a good law, as I said earlier :)

  • It is the best thing to happen that will never get enforced.

  • I think it's a great law. I live in Ohio and have adocated it for years. If people would stay to the right except to pass, it would make those in the left lane stand out like a wounded gazelle to a pack of lions. And, if you have ever been trapped behind some bulbous red nosed, skipper hat wearing, VFW post lifestyle, 1982 Mercury Marquis, pale yellow with flapping vinyl top, driving old fart that has locked door handles with a semi doing .01 mph below the limit, you know what I mean. These "speed Nazi's" have taken it upon themselves to control my driving. My attitude is: "COntrol this!" as I run them into the median strip. I sincerely want a bumper sticker that says: "ever wonder WHAT causes road rage?". I drive every day on I 75 for aprox 6 miles. The right lane is almost always empty. I have counted 39 cars bumper to bumper in the left lane (as I passed them). Our local DJ says we could save a lot of money if we don't even build a right lane. The center lanes are clogged with trucks. Wait! I could be shooting myself in the foot. Never mind! I'll just leave it like it is and keep the right lane to myself!

  • I pray to Almighty God in heaven that those of you

    lawless drivers who think this is a great thing could walk in my shoe (having been a victom of 2 serious auto injuries that has affected my nerves and severe headaches for over 30 years and also 5 yeara ago) due to neglegent, aggressive drivers. Experience the helliksh pain I and thousands of Americans have gone through and then and ONLY then might you change such SELFISH and CARELESS attitudes that one's driving habits doesn't affect others!!!

  • Hooray for Illinois! Demian doesn't ssem to comprehend a concept that is intuive to many. You see, Demian, it's about traffic flow: faster vs, not about arbirary speed limits. The morons who haven't learned efficiency and coutesy on their own will be unlikely appreciate the very sensible and safe autobahn Fahren Sie rechts!(Drive [always] to the right" concept. It's not enough to keep right. You need to keep up with traffic, even in the middle lanes.



    It's great to see people from St Louis waxing as though St Louis is some sophitcated metrolpois. The truth is, St Louis is not even one of America's 10 biggist cities. It's hiarious to seem St Louisers imply that IL is a parochial backwater. Chicago is a real city while St Louis epitomizes wannabe. St Louis drivers are as annoying as anywhere: driving 40 when their lanes' are moving 60 -- just like the wannabe jersey jakasses who can't drive, who lie and tell everyone they're from New York we have to contend with in NYC.



    You can spot who's inexperienced at driving in traffic in nyc. Californians and Canadians are great. They keep up and a safe distance, keeping traffic moving. JJs, new englanders people with Maryland, VA and MO plates people invaiably drive 40 when their lanes are moving 60. Oh, but they'r not in the left lane. Doesn't matter genious. The whole point of moving right is to avoid hindering trffing tryin to move faster than you. It's not so hard. If your lane's going 60, you go 60, or move right. Natally you're excepted if you're as as far right as you can go. Also, you have the right of way over someone entering from an on-ramp. Keep your speed and let them move into traffic. Don't vary your speed and screw up everything.



    Keep up or keep right. If you're in a middle lane and more than 2 seconds behind the guy in front of you, either close the gap or move right. Another good tip: do the opposite of what jersey jackasses and St Louisers do.

  • i think the left lane law is great. we have to actually have a law like that because no one has enough sense to get over. some people just sit in the left lane in la la land with not a worry in the world. i am actually working on a petition for the state of North Carolina to enforce the left lane law. the more signatures i get, the better.





    drive "right" pass left!

  • Steve,

    Sorry about your luck-- sincerely I am. You don't go into details about your accident. Should I assume you were in the right lane and someone rear ended you (twice) for no reason?

    The people that posted here are most likely very good drivers that keep alert and anticipate situations before they happen. It is precisely the "LA LA'S" out there in the left lane with no concept of what the car is doing and, couldn't do much more than slam on their brakes in an emergency, (ABS was invented for exactly those people-- trouble is, ABS won't steer or accellerate, neither will the "LA LA's").

    One question I do have, why do you think they call it an "EXPRESSWAY"? I suggest take the side/country roads. It's not how fast you go that kills you-- it's how slow you are going compared to the other person.

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