Louisiana drivers can go to jail for driving too slow in the left lane of freeways under a new law designed to prevent clogging multi-lane highways and improve safety.
Democratic Alexandria state Sen. Jay Luneau's Act 24 would apply to drivers going just 1 mile per hour under the speed limit. The previous law applied to drivers traveling 10 mph or more below the speed limit and didn't include possible jail time as a penalty.
Under the new law, the penalty for the first offense is a $150 fine, followed by $250 for a second offense and $350 for a third offense with the possibility of a 30-day jail sentence if it occurs within a year of the previous offense.
"I want people to understand that the right lane is for traveling and the left lane is for passing, not for driving side by side on the highway," Luneau said in an interview with USA Today Network.
The new law reserves the left lane for passing or exiting on left exit ramps.
Luneau said he sponsored the legislation after encountering the issue almost every time he travels to and from Baton Rouge and other Louisiana cities.
Luneau said he spoke to an official with the National Highway Safety Commission before crafting his bill, which cleared both the Senate and House with super majorities and was signed by Republican Gov. Jeff Landry.
"One of the things she told me was that slow driving in the left lane caused an inordinate amount of wrecks resulting in high property damage and high bodily injury because of the speed at which the vehicles are traveling," Luneau said.
"She also told me it generated road rage incidents and hindered commerce with big trucks," he said.
The new law went into effect on Aug. 1.
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Greg Hilburn covers state politics for the USA TODAY Network of Louisiana. Follow him on Twitter @GregHilburn1.
This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: You can go to jail in Louisiana for driving below speed limit on highways
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