State lawmakers want to crack down on drivers who they say are going too slow on the state's highways.
A bill that passed the House Transportation Committee Wednesday would require slower drivers to move out of the left lane if they're "impeding traffic."
Rep. Ray Pickett, R-Watauga and sponsor of the bill, says it would be up to law-enforcement officers to determine whether someone is "impeding traffic," and while they could pull over drivers with a warning, the infraction wouldn't come with a fine — for now. He says the goal is to target what he calls "left-lane campers."
"We'll give them time to get used to it," Pickett said. "Maybe at a later date, I may come back and put a fine attached to it."
Pickett's bill would also increase the minimum speed requirements to 10 miles an hour below the posted speed limit, so drivers in a 65 mile-per-hour zone would need to drive at least 55, for example.
"We currently have 70 mile-per-hour zones on our interstates," he said. "Forty-five miles per hour is completely too slow to be going on the interstate at those speeds." The bill would also ban trucks in the left lane of limited-access highways that have six lanes or more.
An easier path for teen drivers
The House Transportation Committee also took a long-delayed vote in favor of a bill that speeds up the timeline for teen drivers to get their provisional driver's license.
The revised version of House Bill 584 would reduce the waiting period for learner's permit holders from nine months to six months, and they would no longer need to keep a log of their hours behind the wheel. But unlike a previous version of the bill that made the change permanent, the shorter waiting period would only apply through the end of December.
The bill's sponsor, Rep. David Willis, R-Union, says the change is needed because it's become extremely difficult to get a timely appointment at the DMV. Teens, he argues, "shouldn't be penalized for government inefficiency and the unwillingness of DMV to fix and address their own issues."
But some legislators worried that the reduced waiting period could make drivers less safe.
"I've had so many phone calls from people that are concerned that their children probably aren't ready to drive yet and they need as much time as possible," said Rep. Phil Shepard, R-Onslow. And Rep. Jeff McNeely, R-Iredell, said the change could create an influx of teens seeking DMV appointments at the same time the agency is dealing with higher demand to get the new Real ID.
McNeely says he's hopeful the newly appointed DMV Commissioner, former state Rep. Paul Tine of Dare County, will be able to improve the troubled agency's operations.
Both bills will need to get through other House committees and have a floor vote before next week's "crossover" deadline at the legislature. After that time, bills that haven't passed either the House or Senate aren't eligible to be considered.
