A South Carolina Senate subcommittee passed a bill Thursday morning that would make it against the law to drive in the left lane of interstate highways, except when passing and other specific conditions. The bill now goes to the full Senate Transportation Committee next week, and is expected to go before the full Senate by the end of the month.

The bill states, "A vehicle may not be driven in the left lane of an interstate highway except when overtaking and passing another vehicle."

The other times it would be okay to drive in the left lane is when no other vehicle is directly behind you, when traffic conditions and congestion make it impractical to drive in the right lane, when snow or rain make it safer to drive in the left lane, when there are obstructions or hazards in the right lane, and when there's an exit on the left of a highway.

Sen. Danny Verdin, R-Laurens, chairman of the subcommittee that passed the bill unanimously, says, "Well, the serious problems this is causing now is one of road rage. This has been determined as either the second or third leading cause of road rage."

Slower vehicles in the left lane can also cause collisions, as faster-moving vehicles come up on them quickly. Lance Corporal Stacy Craig with the SC Highway Patrol says, "It'll cut down on collisions a good bit," if the bill is passed.

He says it'll also be easy to enforce, because he sees slower-moving vehicles backing up traffic in the left lane all the time. And usually, when they see his marked patrol car, they slow down even more.

Mike Rzepka of Charleston stopped at a highway rest stop outside Columbia Thursday. When told about the bill, he was all for it. "I do think it'll help safety. I think it'll help the traffic flow more evenly down the highway."

State lawmakers in Illinois passed a left-lane restriction law last year, and it just went into effect January 1st, 2004. South Carolina Sen. Harvey Peeler, R-Gaffney, introduced this bill and patterned it after the Illinois law.

If the bill passes, the fine for driving illegally in the left lane would be up to $100, but it would not add any points to your license.