Drivers could face stiffer penalty on left lane camping
Jan 23, 2017, 9:19 AM | Updated: Jan 24, 2017, 10:16 am
On Monday, lawmakers discussed whether to increase the base penalty for left-lane camping on our state’s highways.
Related: Who should pay to fix the Eastside traffic?
The current penalty is $48. Lawmakers want to push that to $70.
“It is a traffic infraction to drive continuously in the left lane of a multilane roadway when it impedes the flow of other traffic,” “The base penalty amount for this infraction is seventy dollars.”
It’s probably not enough to make a change in driver behavior, but it’s a move in the right direction, 成人X站 Radio traffic reporter Chris Sullivan says.
The left lane is designed for passing on highways, according to the Washington State Patrol.
In 2015, state troopers stopped 13,909 left-lane violators, the Associated Press reports.
In March, troopers did a patrol emphases for left-lane campers.
鈥淲e all know there are people out there 鈥� that enjoy or like to go just a little bit under the speed limit. That鈥檚 what those right lanes are for, primarily,鈥� Sgt. Paul Cagle said. 鈥淭he left lane allows for folks the ability to move around slow moving traffic.鈥�
鈥淐ongestion is an issue, but it鈥檚 also from a safety standpoint,鈥� he said. 鈥淎 number of our collisions involve aggressive driving. And there鈥檚 that frustration we all get when we are stuck behind someone camped out in the left lane 鈥� and that may cause a motorist to take risks they may not take because of the frustration.鈥�
Senator Michal Baumgartner has said left-lane camping is “worse in Washington state than other states.”
鈥淧eople will sit in the left lane 鈥� and they just won鈥檛 move,鈥� he previously said. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e forced to pass on the right and then the person speeds up. Easy solution: Get over. If you鈥檙e not passing you should not be in the left lane.鈥�
