It rarely makes sense for a Legislature to pass laws that are unlikely to be enforced. But the Mississippi Legislature has done just that.
The Senate last week sent House Bill 80 to Gov. Phil Bryant. The bill forbids motorists from driving in the left-hand lane on a multi-lane roadway “whenever it impedes the flow of other traffic.”
The fine for violating this new restriction will be between $5 and $50, although it’s hard to envision a single state trooper or sheriff’s deputy spending any time bothering to enforce what is more a law of convenience than of public safety.
Anybody who rides an interstate or a four-lane highway will agree that it’s an annoyance when a driver in the left-hand lane travels below the speed limit and won’t move over. It is inconsiderate unless there is a problem in the right lane, such as an 18-wheeler that has pulled over to the right shoulder of the road.
But the impatient drivers to the rear have an easy solution: use the right lane to drive around these slower-moving vehicles. This happens all the time, and it’s questionable whether such an encounter should rise to the level of a traffic offense.
Without saying so directly, this new law is giving preference to drivers who think they’re entitled to zip along at 80 mph or more on a four-lane highway.
Which group is more dangerous: the perpetual speeders or the left-lane slowpokes? It’s not hard to figure out which type of driver deserves more attention from law enforcement.
