The Illinois General Assembly has passed a bill that is designed to keep slow traffic out of the left lane of interstates and expressways.

HB1574, introduced by Rep. John Millner, R-Carol Stream, passed the House 99-13 on March 26. It passed the Senate May 13 by a vote of 40-10.

The bill would apply only to controlled-access, multilane highways. The bill does contain some exceptions, allowing slower motorists to remain in the left lane when facing certain hazards on the highway, bad weather conditions or to avoid emergency vehicles.

The bill’s proponents referred to it as a safety measure.

"All of us have been on the highway, we've seen the person backing up traffic, causing the hazard," Sen. Dan Rutherford R-Chenoa, told The Springfield State Journal Register.  "If you're driving down the highway and you're in the left-hand lane and you've got traffic backed up, you're actually becoming a hazard."

The bill is awaiting the governor’s signature.