Ever been stuck behind a slow driver in the fast lane on Atlanta highways and they refused to move over — or worse, drive slower in defiance of you flashing your lights at them?
There is now a law prohibiting slower drivers from clogging up the left lane. An update to the law, called the “Slow Poke Law” on impeding traffic took effect July, 2014. The law says a driver can be ticketed for driving in the fast lane, despite the fact that the driver believes he or she is doing the speed limit.
And yes, the law requires you to move over to the right lanes even if the driver behind you is speeding.
Since the law went into effect, the Georgia State Patrol has handed out 269 “Slow Poke Law” violations, the vast majority of them in the greater Atlanta area, WSB-TV reports.
The purpose of passing the law is to reduce the number of road rage incidents that take place when aggressive drivers try to “convince” slower drivers to move out of the way by riding on their bumpers. The updated law requires slower drivers to move out of the far left lane if approached from behind by a vehicle going faster than you. The driver is to move over to the right and allow the faster driver to pass, even if that driver is speeding.
The news station said Gwinnett County has handed out over 100 “Slow Poke” tickets, while neighboring Cobb County has written 200 since the change to the law.
Most of the tickets are warnings, proving officers an opportunity to educate drivers about the new law. The vast majority of drivers pulled over by officers had no inkling that such a law even existed.
“Most of the people I’ve dealt with, for them it was a completely educational experience. They had no idea,” Perry said told the station.
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