Indiana Attorney Says Indiana’s New Passing Lane Law Matches Spirit of Lane Courtesy Month
Shelbyville, IN (PRWEB) June 14, 2015 -- Injury lawyer Mike Stephenson commented today on Indiana’s new passing lane law and its relevance to the National Motorists Association Foundation’s observation of Lane Courtesy Month during June, 2015.
“Lane courtesy means you should yield to faster traffic, which is exactly what Indiana’s new law mandates,” Stephenson said. “Even if you are obeying the speed limit, if you are traveling in the left lane and faster vehicles are behind you, you must move to the right or risk being fined $500.”
The new law, which goes into effect July 1, 2015, gives faster drivers the right of way on highways and allows police to ticket left-lane drivers who refuse to move when it is clear that another vehicle is overtaking them. Before the new law was passed and signed, Indiana law required vehicles being driven slower than the posted speed limit to stay in the right lane of a multi-lane highway, but it did not specifically refer to left-lane driving.
The new law does not apply under certain conditions such as bad weather, while taking a left exit, pulling over to permit an emergency vehicle to pass, traffic congestion, or while paying a toll.
“Lane courtesy, and the laws which support this concept, such as the new Indiana law, have several benefits, including improved traffic flow, a lower incidence of accidents, and a reduction in road rage caused by frustration with left lane hogs," Stephenson said. "Slow vehicles in the left lane can cause accidents, because drivers around them have to make abrupt speed and lane changes. This is especially a problem for large trucks, which can't navigate as nimbly as automobiles. In our law practice, we've handled a number of cases where a large truck barreling down the interstate was unable to avoid a slow vehicle which wouldn't move over."
“I applaud Gov. Pence and the legislators who support this new law. Anything we can do to reduce motor vehicle injuries and fatalities in Indiana must be seen as a positive step,” Stephenson concluded. “Many times we think we have good excuses for doing what we do on the roads, instead of doing the right thing. The new law should incentivize drivers to do the right thing with regard to driving slower than the flow of traffic in the left lane. It’s also a great way to show support for Lane Courtesy Month.”
ABOUT MIKE STEPHENSON:
Mike Stephenson, a personal injury lawyer with McNeely Stephenson of Shelbyville, Indiana, near Indianapolis, has been successfully litigating motor vehicle accident cases in Indiana since 1981. He can be reached at (317) 825-5200.
Mike Stephenson, McNeely Stephenson, http://www.indianapilaw.com/, +1 (317) 825-5200, [email protected]
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