NH now fining highway drivers who hold up traffic in the fast lane

NASHUA, N.H. — New Hampshire is the latest in a growing list of states trying to put the brakes on left lane drivers.

Starting this year, state law says motor vehicles shall not be driven continuously in the left lane of a multilane roadway whenever it impedes the flow of other traffic.

The law has teeth. The penalty is points on your license and a $50 fine.

And while the far left lane is known as the passing lane, but not everyone got that memo.

"It’s just aggravating you just got to go around the other side and get in front of them if you can," said Brian Boucher of Nashua.

A Boston 25 News crew saw it on Route 3 from the Massachusetts line up towards Manchester. Drivers were cruising instead of passing, cars backing up behind them.

"I commute from here to Boston, so it really impedes the flow of traffic when you got somebody that is just sitting in the left lane that’s not passing people," said Sharon.

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"They feel like its there job to regulate everybody else’s speed," she said.

Robin Golub of Nashua said he believes the law "makes perfect sense if people are not following the rules of the road. I think it makes perfect sense."

A similar law already exists in Massachusetts. It carries a more expensive $150 fine.

If enforcement efforts work, studies show traffic flow will improve. More importantly, accidents caused by people passing to the right will be reduced.

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