Bill Allows $200 Fine For Slow Drivers Who Don't Move Over

Slowpoke drivers beware. You may soon face a fine for bogging down traffic in the left lane of North Carolina interstates.

A House judiciary committee passed a bill Wednesday that would make it illegal for someone to block the steady flow of traffic by cruising in the passing lane. That means drivers could face a $200 fine.

Bill sponsors call it a public safety issue. They say drivers traveling below the speed limit in the left lane create tight clusters, and that can cause accidents.

The proposal would expand a current law requiring vehicles traveling less than the speed limit to be in the right lane.

Rutherford County Republican Rep. David Rogers opposed the measure, saying it wouldn't seem fair to punish drivers traveling the speed limit who don't move over if a speeding car approaches.