Yahoo Autos New Florida bill would ban left-lane cruising
A new bill introduced in the Florida legislature last week would make cruising in the left lane of a divided highway illegal. Currently, the law allows drivers to use the left lane for cruising provided that no faster traffic is approaching from the rear; the new law would mirror the "keep right except to pass" laws in other states that more stringently enforce safe lane discipline.
Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulicka's proposed bill is refreshingly simple; it would require amending only two lines of Florida's highway code and would put the onus on drivers to exit the passing lane after overtaking slower traffic. The current wording allows drivers to cruise in the left lane as long as they want, provided they don't believe they're impeding faster traffic:
316.081 (3): On a road, street, or highway having two or more lanes allowing movement in the same direction, a driver may not continue to operate a motor vehicle in the furthermost left-hand lane if the driver knows or reasonably should know that he or she is being overtaken in that lane from the rear by a motor vehicle traveling at a higher rate of speed. This subsection does not apply to drivers operating a vehicle that is overtaking another vehicle proceeding in the same direction, or is preparing for a left turn at an intersection.
