The effort to designate the left lane on major Florida highways exclusively for passing is gaining momentum this year.
The bill successfully passed through the full House on Thursday and awaits approval from the Florida Senate. Opinions on drivers who linger in the left lane and resist moving over seem to be widespread.
Driver Win Thomas of Jacksonville stated, “I think it’s kind of selfish.”
“Oh, I can’t stand them,” Tennessee native Loraine Monroe remarked as she pulled into a Jacksonville rest area on her route back north.
The movement to outlaw left-lane cruising is back and stronger than ever after faltering out the previous year. Senator Keith Perry of Texas, the bill’s sponsor, said, “We won’t call it the fast lane, but it’s moving along.”
Perry’s proposed legislation aims to designate Florida as the 9th state mandating the use of the left lane on highways with speeds of 65 miles per hour or more exclusively for passing.
Presently, in Florida, driving in the left lane is permissible, but drivers are expected to yield to faster-moving traffic by moving over.
Perry highlighted the prevalent issue of this guideline not being consistently followed, emphasizing the potential deadly consequences of such non-compliance.
“Last year we had 247 instances where people were either incapacitated or deaths that happened from improper passing on the righthand side on someone’s blindside,” Perry stated.
During that same five-year period, improper passing led to over 17,000 accidents. Perry’s proposed bill suggests imposing a minimum fine of $60 for left lane cruisers, with potential maximum penalties reaching $158.
In England, Graham Godfrey’s home country, although they drive on the left side of the road, drivers are accustomed to avoiding the left lane.
“The left lane is just the passing lane,” Godfrey stated.
While vacationing in Florida, he encountered a bit of left lane culture shock while driving on the roads. However, he mentioned that if Perry’s bill is approved, he would be willing to make another trip from his current residence in Delaware.
Senator Perry expressed confidence that the bill is likely to reach the Governor’s desk by the end of the upcoming week.
If the bill is signed into law, the proposed change will be implemented on July 1, 2025, allowing drivers sufficient time to familiarize themselves with and adapt to the new road rules.
