In the past I have focused on the dangers associated with texting and driving and other types of distracted driving.  Today I want to bring to your attention a new traffic law that recently went into effect.  

If you are one of those drivers who tend to stay in the left lane of the highway in the Garden State, you may want to change your driving habits.  Otherwise you risk paying higher fines if you get cited by the police.  Governor Chris Christine signed legislation on August 7^th that increases the fine for failing to keep right or filing to observe traffic lanes.  Under the old law, the fine was between $50 and $200.  The new law raises the fine to between $100 and $300.  Drivers in New Jersey are required to stay in the right lane unless they are passing slower traffic.  Staying in the left lane is a violation of the law.  Besides the hefty fine, a ticket for the left lane offense also puts 2 points on the driver’s license.  There were more than 4,200 left lane tickets written last year and some have said that the law could bring in millions of dollars in revenue to the state from the fines.  Critics of the law say that the State should be focusing on safety, not earning money from traffic fines.  But the sponsors of the bill say that the law is aimed at making the roads safer.  Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon, one of the co-sponsors of the bill, said that going too slow causes road rage and forces drivers to go around.  The lawmaker said that when one person is driving in the left lane who shouldn’t be, there can be hundreds of very frustrated and potentially aggressive drivers trying to go around that driver.  He says that this law eliminates that problem by educating this type of driver, and in, turn, eliminating hundreds of aggressive drivers.  The lawmaker also said that this law is designed to cut down on the number of lane changes a driver makes.  The more lane changes a driver makes, the more opportunities there are for traffic accidents, he says. 

As always be sure to obey all traffic laws when you are driving, and, of course, never drink and drive.  If you or someone you know has been injured as a result of a driver who wasn’t paying attention or following the law, contact me.  I am here to help.