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Fines Proposed For Driving Too Slowly In The Left Lane

I-95 northbound at its intersection with I-40 in North Carolina. Credit: Wikipedia contributor Admiral capn for Creative Commons http://bit.ly/2mDcwpj

North Carolina lawmakers are tackling an issue that resonates with many drivers around the state.

You've probably been there. You want to pass a car on the interstate, but the slowpoke ahead of you insists on staying in the left lane.

Several Senate Republicans feel your pain, and are taking action.

Senate Bill 303 would impose a $200 fine to drivers caught driving below the speed limit or “impeding the flow of traffic” in the left lane of a highway.

The News and Observer of Raleigh reports the fines would apply mainly to interstates and freeways.

North Carolina already requires slower vehicles to keep right, but doesn't currently have any penalties.

Senator Jeff Tarte of Mecklenburg County is co-sponsoring the bill. He says that drivers slowly cruising left lanes are contributing to highway congestion and road rage.

If the bill passes, North Carolina would join five other states cracking down on passing lane violations.

Neal Charnoff joined 88.5 WFDD as Morning Edition host in 2014. Raised in the Catskill region of upstate New York, he graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in 1983. Armed with a liberal arts degree, Neal was fully equipped to be a waiter. So he prolonged his arrested development bouncing around New York and L.A. until discovering that people enjoyed listening to his voice on the radio. After a few years doing overnight shifts at a local rock station, Neal spent most of his career at Vermont Public Radio. He began as host of a nightly jazz program, where he was proud to interview many of his idols, including Dave Brubeck and Sonny Rollins. Neal graduated to the news department, where he was the local host for NPR's All Things Considered for 14 years. In addition to news interviews and features, he originated and produced the Weekly Conversation On The Arts, as well as VPR Backstage, which profiled theater productions around the state. He contributed several stories to NPR, including coverage of a devastating ice storm. Neal now sees the value of that liberal arts degree, and approaches life with the knowledge that all subjects and all art forms are connected to each other. Neal and his wife Judy are enjoying exploring North Carolina and points south. They would both be happy to never experience a Vermont winter again.

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