COLOMBIA, SC (WMBF) – It’s something that probably happened to everyone: getting stuck behind a slow driver in the left lane.
Several representatives of the state of South Carolina hope to make people think twice before stopping traffic on the highway.
They filed a bill creating stricter penalties for “misusing the left hand lane”.
There is already a law in South Carolina that requires drivers to drive on the right side of all roads, unless they are passing through another car, making a turn or the right lane is blocked. It also states that any car going below the traffic rate should move to the farthest lane to the right available, unless they are passing.
The only problem is that the current law has no penalties attached to it.
Therefore, the bill drafted by seven South Carolina lawmakers would make the act of driving slowly on the left lane a misdemeanor, with a $ 200 fine and two points on the driver’s license.
Vance Mattis, who drives trucks across the Midwest and East Coast, supports the project.
“See it daily. It is irritating to say the least, and the unfortunate thing is that I do not see much application of it. “
But while he supports the $ 200 fine, he believes the two points on the license are a little rough.
“Having both discount points and suddenly your insurance rates are going up too, that’s very high,” said Mattis.
It takes 16 points to obtain a revoked license.
But the project still has a long way to go before it reaches the governor’s table to be signed. It will start on the Education and Public Works Committee on 12 January.
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