Fines may increase for left-lane campers on N.J. highways
 

Fines may increase for left-lane campers on N.J. highways

Published: Tuesday, February 28, 2012, 9:30 AM Updated: Tuesday, February 28, 2012, 1:21 PM

http://media.nj.com/avatars/5099.png By Mike Frassinelli/The Star-Ledger

http://media.nj.com/ledgerupdates_im...8786-large.jpgTony Kurdzuk/The Star-LedgerThe New Jersey Senate Transportation Committee Monday advanced a proposal to increase fines for drivers who fail to stay right except to pass — from $50 to $200 now, to $100 to $300, with $50 to go toward signs reminding motorists entering New Jersey about the stay right law.
Own up. In a hurry to get to work or a meeting, you’ve encountered a slowpoke hogging the left lane on I-80 or the Turnpike and secretly wished you had one of those monster trucks with 66-inch tires so you could roll over his sedan.
Maybe you’ve even passed him on the right and displayed a hand signal letting him know you think he’s number one.
Drivers who hate it when fellow travelers clog the left lane, take heart. The New Jersey Senate Transportation Committee Monday advanced a proposal to increase fines for drivers who fail to stay right except to pass — from $50 to $200 now, to $100 to $300, with $50 to go toward signs reminding motorists entering New Jersey about the stay right law.
"Having conversations with law enforcement, they refer to this as one of the triggers for road rage," state Sen. Donald Norcross (D-Camden), the bill sponsor, said of left-lane campers.
He got to experience express lane obstructions first-hand on his way to Trenton Monday, saying, "Certainly, driving here today just reminds me why this is a good bill."
"It tends to be more the out-of-state drivers, who are not aware of our stay right law," Norcross said. "So what we want to do here is raise awareness and make the roads a little safer."
Almost all states require slower traffic to stay right, but New Jersey is one of the stricter states when it comes to keeping the left lane open except to pass. Other states have variations. In neighboring Pennsylvania, for example, motorists traveling at a speed greater than the traffic flow can stay in the left lane.
New Jersey Senate Bill No. 530 passed the committee 3-1, with Norcross and state Sens. Nicholas J. Sacco (D-Hudson) and Robert M. Gordon (D-Bergen) voting to release it and state Sen. Joseph Pennacchio (R-Morris) opposing.
Pennacchio agrees in theory with keeping the traffic flowing, but said increasing fines in a state where fees are already high can be seen as "draconian."
He said that last week, there was the "move over" measure, where drivers were required to move over one lane or slow down when approaching stopped emergency or highway safety vehicles that flashed their warning lights.
http://media.nj.com/ledgerupdates_im...8794-small.jpg
"We had the move over law last week that said you’ve got to move from the right to the left. Now we get the move-from-the-left-to-the-right law," Pennacchio said. "Eventually, we’re going to run out of lanes."
There were 5,127 tickets written for violations of the stay right law in the last calendar year, according to the state judiciary. It is a 2-point violation for New Jersey drivers.
Norcross said that in talking with State Police, drivers usually aren’t cited for failure to stay right unless they camp out in the lane for three miles.
"Some of them won’t get out of the left-hand lane until the lights of the state trooper cars" are flashing, he said. "They are completely oblivious."
Norcross, who encounters left-lane slowpokes during his frequent trips on the Atlantic City Expressway, is hopeful the increased fines and new signs will be approved by the full House by the end of the year.
Steve Carrellas, New Jersey representative of the National Motorists Association driving rights group, said the association supports efforts by Norcross to foster smooth, safe and efficient flow of traffic on multi-lane highways.
The association every year designates June as "lane courtesy month," and Carrellas said the clogging of the left lane is always a "hot button" for the general motoring public.
"We and all motorists who find poor lane courtesy a detraction from safe and pleasurable driving support the senator in his efforts to improve lane courtesy on New Jersey’s highways," he said.

They just need to enforce it now..

Which is the issue. The fines are useless if there is no enforcement.

I suspect if fines go up so will tickets, since they seem to be making LEO's revenue agents.

How the hell would you enforce this though...

Driving the speed limit at 65mph and getting pulled over for doing the speed limit? For you to be holding up traffic and have grounds to be pulled over, the cop would have to turn a blind eye to the rest of the cars doing 75mph+ past you.... Makes no sense.

Now I would just like to see this enforced, even once.

The point is there is NO REASON to travel in the left lane really. I see it day in and day out where some a hole is just over there for no reason at all. multiple lanes can be free, but there is some jackwagon in the left lane cruising along.

Keep right EXCEPT to pass. I think this is why the article mentions 3 miles, that way there is a point of reference for the LEO to justify the fine.

According to that article "There were 5,127 tickets written for violations of the stay right law in the last calendar year,"

I understand that, and without the 3 mile note, it makes no sense and would be un enforcable short of LEO actually enforcing the posted speed limit.

People do under the limit in the left lane all the time. Those are the ones who should get the tickets.

Yes, we hate the ahole doing 65 in a 65 in the left lane on 195 but he or she is not breaking the law.

If there is no reason he is not in the right lane, he is.

Let me rephrase that. If he is doing 65 in a 65 and passing slower cars on the right he is not breaking the law. If he is doing 65 in a 65 and not passing then that is not right.

But why not... how could he legally be passing someone going 65 in a 65 zone? Assuming that someone else is going faster than him next to or behind him.

It almost seems as if you are catering to the people who have no regard for personal safety, the well being of others, and a general lack of inteligence... speeders. (if you can't read the tongue in check there, god help you)

I am only playing devils advocate here cause its a joke that the speed limit is not enforced and now they wanna throw this in.

Kinda what I was getting at too.

The guy going 65 in a 65 passing in the left lane would be passing somebody doing sub 65 in a 65 lane. Which seems like it might be a rare occurance these days.

There are some days on Rt. 80 where I can be doing 65 in the left lane and passing people like they were standing still.

I've done this, as well as 287. Even me doing 55 on 22. I double check my speedometer to make sure i wasn't seeing wrong.

I saw today on the Parkway they had a few of the overpass signs advertising keep left.

I just hate people who think they belong in the left lane for no apparent reason. I work from 4:00pm to midnight, and take Rt 1 and I-95 on my way home from work.....as you can imagine there is very little traffic on either of those highways between midnight and 12:30am when I am driving home, but I would say it's a pretty rare night when I don't see someone enter one of those highways in front of me and immediately dart all the way over to the left lane and stay there.

- Justin

Adreed completely. but if i can add my .02, I'd rather get pulled over for doing 65 in a 65 and holding up traffic( delaying traffic ticket, $54 and no points) vs. anywhere from $100 to $300 and 2 points.

really think about the 3 mile rule for a second. The officer would have to observe doing this for 3 miles in order to issue a ticket, now chances are he will wind up pulling you over for say speeding. but now he will just watch you for 3 miles so he can throw that in too. and lets not forget fines are double on the highways

These tickets ARE a moving violation, 2 points.... always has been too. It isnt a delaying traffic ticket, it is failure to keep right.

got pulled over for this in plainsboro one night on my way to rowan. 11:30 PM nobody on the road and i was cruising in the left lane. When I saw the cop pull out behind me I checked my speed (was fine) so i pulled into the middle lane, as soon as I did he lit me up.

I think it was more of a way to see if I was ... suspicious or anything.. kind of an excuse to pull me over. He let me go no prob after I told him I had just left work and was heading to Rowan.

one word: autobahn. all of your arguments against enforcing stay right legislation are now invalid.

They can increase the fine to $1000.00 but if the law is not enforced the left lane hangers will never understand "move over and let the rest of us go by ".
Would you expect anything else from the lawmakers in NJ? The people making the laws such as stop for the pedestrian in the crosswalk? I have been driving since I was 16 and this one was a rule when I received my license, my all time favorite is the "yield to the bus" created for NJ Transit when they are on the shoulder of the road picking up a passenger and a ready to pull out into moving traffic you are expected to come to a stop and let the bus onto the road ? I wonder how much the fine would be if you do not let the bus out or if you hit the bus while the driver pulled out in front of you.

If you don't know about the yield to the bus law take a look at the left back side of the NJT bus it will have the sign on it.

Yup. Germans automatically stay right and look at how their system works.

The bus thing is good for School buses. They don't need some ******* running down an 8 year old because he's frustrated and late for work.

I never mentioned a school bus which I think should be a 2000.00 fine and a loss of your DL for a year violating the flashing lights on the stopped bus. New Jersey Transit buses should not be allowed to pull away from the shoulder and pull out in front of another moving vehicle.