CHICAGO, IL (January 8, 2019) – Illinois drivers lingering in the left traffic lane will now be targets of the Illinois State Police. Enforcement of a traffic law passed by state legislators two years ago that restricts drivers that improperly use the left lane will start this year.
According to police, the left lane should only be used to pass other vehicles or when moving over for an emergency vehicle.
State Police are taking to Facebook to remind Illinois drivers of the law. They are using the hashtag #LeftLaneLollygaggersBeware to spread their message.
“You’re not supposed to travel in the left lane and stay there,” said Lieutenant Matt Boerwinkle, a spokesperson for Illinois State Police. “The main focus is to ensure that motorists have a means to get around traffic that should stay in the right lane,” he said, adding that the law is intended to keep traffic flowing and increase safety.
Left Lane Law -“While traveling on an interstate highway, a vehicle may not be driven in the left lane, except when overtaking and passing another vehicle. This prohibition does not apply to authorized emergency vehicles while engaged in official duties.”
Those caught lingering in the left lane can now be fined $120. The law applies only to traffic on four-lane, two-way roadways.
The Illinois State Police admit they will be implementing a new tactic in 2019, using “covert vehicles” to help them catch drivers who are violating state left lane laws. The motoring public will not know which vehicles the Illinois State Police will be traveling in so they plan to alert the squad cars up ahead to pull over the offending vehicles.
The Illinois State Police says the covert vehicles will be focusing on both commercial and passenger vehicle drivers who are lingering in the left lane of the interstate while neither passing nor moving over for an emergency vehicle, which is a violation of the law.
Illinois State Police are also focusing on enforcement of the “Fatal Four” violations: high-risk driving behavior that includes DUI, speeding, not wearing a seatbelt and distracted driving in 2019.
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