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Are slower drivers in the passing lane required to scoot over?

News 6 viewers ask traffic questions

ORLANDO, Fla. – News 6 traffic safety expert Trooper Steve Montiero answers viewer questions about the rules of the road every week, helping Orlando-area residents become better drivers by being better educated.

A viewer asked: If somebody is going below the speed limit in the “fast lane,” five or more (cars) following, would it not be required to move into the ”slow lane?”

Trooper Steve says there’s no such thing as a fast or slow lane. Rather, they are the passing or right travel lanes, respectively.

“You’re not allowed, legally, to put up a camp tent or anything in the left lane, and that’s what a lot of you guys like to do,” he said. “Hear me out. I don’t care how many cars are behind you. If the right lane is clear on the highway, that’s where you should be cruising, simply because, one, that’s what the law says, and two, you don’t ever know who’s gonna be approaching behind you at a high rate of speed.”

Sure, those other drivers shouldn’t be speeding in the first place, but Trooper Steve says it’s not our job to tell other drivers to slow down. Instead, he says it’s our job just to make sure we’re doing the right thing.

If you have a traffic question for Trooper Steve, submit it here.


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