Left-lane law questionable

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left lane will be tough to enforce

and a burden for police.

Auniversal frustration for South Carolina drivers is left-lane slowpokes who refuse to let other motorists pass on the interstate. Most of us have fumed that there should be a law against this brand of road discourtesy. But passing a law could present as many problems as it potentially solves. The biggest problem, of course, is the burden it would put on law enforcement.

A Senate bill, co-sponsored by Cherokee County Republican Sen. Harvey Peeler, surely feeds into driver frustration and appears to be gaining momentum in the General Assembly. Peeler wants to fine unrepentant left-lane hogs $75 to $100.

However, catching and citing those drivers adds to the list of duties law enforcement assumes daily and is forced to fulfill with already inadequate resources. Our undermanned state Highway Patrol is already struggling to catch the habitual speeders and drunken drivers who are primarily responsible for this state's inordinately high rate of road fatalities.

With too few state troopers on our roadways to protect us from proven hazards, driving too slow in the left isn't — and shouldn't be considered — a high priority.

Then there is the subjective nature of determining who is driving in the left lane "too long." What constitutes left-lane hogging, or an unwillingness to allow other motorists to pass, will be largely left up to the responding officer to determine. The bill sets certain conditions where left-lane driving will be a clear violation. Drivers can occupy the left lane in heavy traffic, in hazardous weather, when obstructions exist in the right lane and when law enforcement vehicles are engaged in official duties (it is already against the law to ride in the lane nearest the shoulder where a police officer has a vehicle stopped). But weighing all these factors before determining whether someone is in violation of the law leaves an awful lot to interpretation. It is likely that what constitutes a violation would vary greatly between officers, making for uneven enforcement.

The bill also fails to address how such a law would be enforced in urban areas like Greenville, where large trucks are restricted to the right lanes on the interstate. This forces drivers into the middle and left lanes.

Everyone knows the frustration of discourteous drivers who refuse to let other motorists pass. Ideally, the left lane should be reserved for drivers who need it to overtake the vehicle in front of them and yield to merging traffic entering the highway. Those who occupy that lane out of personal preference can be a hazard.

But the best solution to left-lane hogs is more troopers. Drivers tend to be much more courteous and conscientious when they know law enforcement is watching, which would surely include greater awareness of lingering in the left lane too long.