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The state of North Carolina has introduced a bill in its House of Representatives known as House Bill 864. The bill has two objectives, one of which is regulating the state’s system for designing collegiate license plates. Instead of getting into that, we will instead focus on the other part of the bill, the one that is intended to regulate the minimum speeds that vehicles must legally travel at, depending on the posted speed limits. This part of the bill also attempts to crack down on slowpoke drivers in the left lane. 

The part of North Carolina’s House Bill 864 that deals with “left-lane bandits” is clearly stated as follows: “No person shall operate a motor vehicle in the left lane of a multilane highway at a speed that impedes the normal and reasonable movement of traffic,” with drivers subject to fines for doing so. In addition, the bill will increase minimum highway speeds, based on the posted speed limit on a given road. 

These new minimum speeds are to be 10 mph below the posted speed limits. Thus, for example, 70-mph highways have a minimum speed of 60 mph, while highways posted at 65 mph have a minimum of 55 mph. Those with 60-mph limits have a minimum of 50 mph, and highways posted at 55 mph have a minimum of 45 mph. In North Carolina, unless there is a safety-related reason for going slower, it is illegal to drive too many miles under the speed limit.

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While the enforcement of this measure will fall largely on the members of the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, it seems likely that any police officers qualified to enforce traffic safety laws could also make it a part of their jobs. The language of House Bill 864 does not assign any specific police force the responsibility for enforcement.

Another part of House Bill 864 also makes it illegal for semi trucks, which you should avoid passing on the right, to be in the left lane. Section 3 states that “Except when entering or exiting the highway, a motor vehicle having a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 26,001 pounds or more shall not operate in the left-most lane of a controlled-access highway with six or more lanes.”

If you’ve ever wondered about driving in the left lane even when you’re not passing, be aware that many other states have attempted to crack down on slowpokes in the left lane. Some notable ones are Alaska (fine up to $500), Florida (moving violation with fine and three points), Georgia (fine up to $1,000), Indiana (fine up to $500 and points), Louisiana (fine plus up to 30 days’ imprisonment), New Jersey (fine plus two points), South Dakota ($500 fine and/or up to 30 days in jail), and Wyoming (fine up to $750 and/or up to 6 months in jail).