The National Motorists Association has declared June to be “Lane Courtesy Month.”
We’ve all seen them: cars cruising happily down the highway in the left lane, drivers unaware or uncaring that they are actually breaking the law.
Lt. Michael Shaw of the Michigan State Police joined us to talk about these so-called “left-lane hogs.”
Shaw tells us that the issue is likely one of ignorance. “There’s a lot of people that may not be actually aware that it is against the law to travel in the left lane, that the left lane is used only for passing,” he says.
In fact, according to Shaw, there are only a few situations in which left-lane use is legally allowed. These include passing slower traffic, giving an emergency vehicle room to pass on the right lane or shoulder, or avoiding construction or some other obstruction in the right lane.
Shaw lays down the law in more detail in our conversation above, but he makes his overall message clear: “The right lane is for traveling and the left lane is for passing.”
