Note to readers: Roadguy now has a mini-column in the Sunday paper. A version of this week’s column is pasted below; if you’ve already read it elsewhere, skip down to the comments and share your thoughts.

After last weekend’s fatal wreck that was blamed on road rage, Roadguy heard it over and over: Why don’t slower drivers just move out of the left lane?

One answer: Because in Minnesota, they don’t really have to.

Many states have freeway signs that say “slower traffic keep right,” and in much of the world, the inside lane is reserved for passing only. As alert reader Phillip pointed out in an e-mail to Roadguy, in 2000, the Legislature voted in favor of enacting such rules in Minnesota, but Jesse Ventura vetoed the measure. As a compromise, less-stringent signs saying “slower traffic move right” were erected at selected freeway locations around the state.

Such signs help law enforcers because drivers are required to obey posted signs, says Maj. Kent of the State Patrol. But if someone’s going the speed limit in the left lane, he said, “I don’t think that you’re going to get a conviction for impeding traffic.” The left lane is not supposed to be a free-for-all for speeders, he said, but it’s still better and safer for everyone if drivers move out of the left lane whenever possible to reduce frustration.

And there’s plenty of frustration. Alert reader A. from Eagan, for example, e-mailed to say that last weekend’s crash “could have been avoided if the driver had moved to the right lane when a faster driver was coming up behind them. We are not in the business of controlling the speed of other drivers.” She ended her e-mail with some capital letters: SLOWER TRAFFIC KEEP RIGHT.

As good an idea as that might be, it’s still not the law of the land. If you think it should be, or if you think a change would encourage more speeding, chime in below.

This entry was posted on Sunday, July 1st, 2007 at 7:05 am and is filed under Transportation conversations. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.