The Louisiana Senate unanimously approved a measure May 11 that would authorize stiffer fines for drivers who hold up traffic by lingering in the left lane on many of the state’s multilane highways.

It has been forwarded to the House for consideration.

The bill sponsor, Sen. Robert Adley, D-Benton, said the proposal is intended to make sure the left lane is used for passing.

“I do want to stop the ‘rolling roadblocks’,” he told The New Orleans Times-Picayune.

SB765 specifies one vehicle passing another on a multilane highway should stay in the left lane until the distance between it and the vehicle being passed exceeds five car lengths. The passing vehicle is then required to return to the right lane.

If a passing vehicle continues at the same speed as the vehicle in the right lane, “such action shall be considered a rolling roadblock,” Adley wrote.

Those who lag in the left lane could be fined as much as $175, get up to 30 days in jail, or both if they are blocking the normal flow of traffic. Subsequent violations could result in a fine up to $500, as much as 90 days in jail, or both.

The bill would apply specifically to roads outside of municipalities where the posted speed is at least 55 mph.