Keven Moore: Left-lane lingerers beware – slowpoke laws aim to get you out of the way

Finally, the left-lane slowpokes, lollygaggers, creepers and hogs of the world are being criminalized as the hazards that they are – well, at least in two states. Indiana and Georgia have passed so-called slowpoke laws making it illegal to cruise aimlesslly in the left lane, impeding faster drivers and clogging up traffic all around. Not to mention spurring a few too many road rage incidents.

Most states have laws on the books that ban slow-moving drivers in the left lane, but the slowpoke laws go farther, requiring drivers on a divided highway to step on the gas and move to the right whenever a vehicle going faster comes up from behind. Drivers who don’t adhere face a misdemeanor charge up to $1,000 in Georgia and $500 in Indiana.

I have always fussed at these left-lane lingerers. I have also witnessed my fair share of slowpokes who have nearly gotten me or others killed. A slow-poke traveling in the fast lane just invites an accident, so I have to say I’m in favor of such a law.

But slowpoke advocates claim that this law discriminates against law-abiding drivers because it is just too ambiguous and subjective. Their beef is that if you’re in the left lane traveling in a more leisurely and lawful manner than the normal flow of traffic, you are now required to move over for the lawbreakers that are exceeding the posted speed limit.

So who is the greater evil, the Tortoise or the Hare?

We all know that the tortoise wins in the end, but what the tale fails to remind us is that many other animals traveling on that same roadway were either injured and killed because the Tortoise was traveling in the wrong lane when the road became congested.

Now, I must admit being issued a citation even if you’re driving the speed limit and everybody else is exceeding it, just doesn’t seem right to this safety professional. On the surface it appears as if this new law encourages lawbreaking by punishing law-abiders. Huh? Isn’t that like being charged for loitering because you didn’t open the door for the thieves looting the store?

However, proponents in favor of this new law say it will make driving safer by reducing congestion and tailgating, which is a major cause of traffic accidents. Still, wouldn’t this also encourage speeders to drive faster now?

As a risk management and safety professional determinde to render a judgment on such a law, I would have to say that I’m in favor of it after reading both sides of the argument. That’s because the law now defines the boundaries separating the slowpokes and speeders, actually making our roadways a much safer place (and allowing the police to focus on teaching those speeders a costly lesson).

Normally aggressive drivers and speeders don’t become a danger to others until they are in congested traffic, and by clearing a path for them, the hazard diminishes and then they are easier to identify – and cite.

As we get older many of us unknowingly turn into a slow-poke. But just like my Grandpa Charlie Clemons, you should never be apologetic for such safe behavior, as he learned in life to slow down and savor life along the way because life is just too short to speed your way to the end.

When I think of my grandfather I am reminded of his little Chevy Vega and how he would always drive it twice as slow as everyone else.   He truly had an aversion to speed and always would drive in the slow lane and when he found himself on a two-lane highway he was never afraid to stick his arm out the window to wave tailgaters on around him while traveling down the highway.    

The lesson I got from him was that we all get to choose the speed at which we live our lives. The other lesson that I will add is that if you want to live the life of the Tortious, remember you will eventually get there and will most likely live longer – but only if you move out of the left lane where the careless and reckless Hares dwell.

Be safe, my friends.

Keven Moore works in risk management services. He has a bachelor’s degree from University of Kentucky, a master’s from Eastern Kentucky University and 25-plus years of experience in the safety and insurance profession. He lives in Lexington with his family and works out of both the Lexington and Northern Kentucky offices. Keven can be reached at kmoore@roeding.com.