Nearing passage at the Delaware statehouse is a bill to keep most drivers out of the fast lane. A related effort in New Jersey would beef up fines for violators.

Delaware law already requires drivers to stay right on multilane roadways when traveling slower than the normal speed of traffic.

Intended to combat aggressive driving on the state’s multilane highways, the bill would revamp the rule to crack down on drivers lingering in the far left-hand lane.

Law enforcement could issue citations for using the left lane for anything other than passing. Offenders would face fines of up to $230 for driving “in the left lane of a multilane roadway when it impedes the flow of other traffic,” Rep. William Carson, D-Smyrna, wrote.

The Senate Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee’s findings on the bill show that “there may be some issues with enforcement of the bill’s provisions, but found that the bill had educational value as the concept is taught to student drivers.”

The bill – HB140 – advanced from committee to the Senate floor for further consideration. House lawmakers already approved it by unanimous consent.

Supporters say limiting the left lane for passing only would result in improved traffic flow, reducing the number of drivers who impede traffic.

A similar pursuit is moving through the statehouse in neighboring New Jersey.

The Garden State already prohibits drivers from hanging out in the left. Specifically, motorists have limited left lane use while trucks and buses are forbidden from any travel in the far-left lane on highways with at least three lanes in each direction.

Violators face fines between $50 and $200.

The Senate voted 33-2 to advance a bill to the Assembly to boost fines for failure to “keep right” to a range of $100 and $300. If approved, it would allot $50 from each fine to pay for signage to alert travelers to the keep right law.

The bill – S530 – is awaiting further consideration in the Assembly Law and Public Safety Committee.

Supporters, including OOIDA and the National Motorists Association, say that blocking the left lane, whether intentional or not, results in reduced road safety and efficiency.

To view other legislative activities of interest for Delaware, click here. To view other legislative activities of interest for New Jersey, click here.

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