'Don't be this driver': Police's cheeky message about annoying road habit
Police have issued a cheeky message encouraging drivers not to commit a “frustrating” act while driving.
Sandy Springs Police, in the US state of Georgia, posted a photo to Facebook on Wednesday of a car with a number of cars travelling behind it.
The car is circled with the words: “Don’t be this driver” next to it. What police are referring to - and it’s important to note drivers overtake on the left in the US - is when motorists hog the overtaking lane.
“In other words, drivers are prohibited from driving too slow or lingering in the left lane, on the highway, if faster cars are approaching them, even if they are driving the posted speed limit,” police wrote.
“You cannot remain in the leftmost lane once you are aware of a vehicle behind you that is travelling at a faster speed. You must change lanes and allow that vehicle to continue.”
There are exceptions, such as if a driver needs to exit or turn left, pay a toll or for emergency and construction vehicles.
The US state of Georgia has a law which was introduced in 2014 to prevent drivers hogging the lane. It’s called the Slowpoke Law.
“The stated basis for the law is that drivers going slower than the speed of traffic creates a risk to themselves, and others on the road by creating more traffic congestion and increasing the possibility of road rage incidents,” police wrote.
'Wish it was enforced more'
On Facebook, drivers shared their frustration over people hogging the overtaking lane.
“People must learn this law. Please learn this law,” one woman wrote.
One man wrote he faces the problem “every day”.
“Wish it would be enforced more,” another man wrote.
Recently, a Lamborghini and a Porsche were filmed struggling to overtake a driver hogging the overtaking lane.
Overtaking lanes are often a source of frustration for Australian drivers too.
Queensland Transport and Main Roads posed a question to drivers last year about whether a car could occupy the middle lane on a three-lane road in a 100km/h zone.
The answer was yes, because cars in the right lane could overtake it although the question had readers scratching their heads.
The RACQ also exposed a few drivers who didn’t understand an overtaking rule on a two-way road with a broken white line.
