by Ellen Resnick
An otherwise calm and rational person, my husband transforms into a frustrated and angry man on the highway. He has a reasonable grievance against slow drivers in the left lane, but his passing maneuvers turn our car into a perilous Tilt-a-Whirl, first swerving us to the right, then to the left, and a few miles later when he approaches the next cluster of cars, a repeat of the stomach-churning motion. When his weaving becomes unbearable, I recline my seat, close my eyes, and take deep yogic breaths. I don’t bother verbalizing my fears because I know from experience that neither yelling nor pleading nor even cajoling will elicit a change in my husband’s highway behavior. So I recline instead.
While I share my husband’s frustration when I’m in the driver’s seat, I’m a bit more tolerant. So, I am writing this as a concerned passenger, rather than a road rage warrior. I represent not only the aggravated drivers like my husband, but also the vulnerable passengers who fear for their safety because not enough is being done to educate and discipline the inconsiderate drivers in the left lane. They endanger other motorists and their passengers, congest our highways, waste gas, and not too trivial to mention, contribute to marital strife!
There’s a NJ law (N.J.S.A. 39:4-82) that requires motorists to keep right, except when passing; it’s on page 61 of the NJ Driver’s Manual. Motorists who violate this law are required to pay a fine of $100. Personally, I’ve never seen a patrol officer pull over a left lane driver--have you? Obviously, this law is not being enforced.
Senator Donald Norcross (D-Camden/Gloucester) introduced legislation last summer to increase the maximum penalty for violation of the “keep right” law from $100 to $300. He proposed that a portion of the fine be allocated to a fund that would be used to create and maintain new signs that remind people to keep right when driving in New Jersey. Makes sense, but an increase in the penalty would be meaningless unless it’s combined with a high-publicity law enforcement effort similar to the successful “Click It or Ticket” campaign in 2010. That effort included zero-tolerance enforcement of safety belt laws, paid advertising and the support of government agencies, local coalitions and school officials. This powerful combination increased New Jersey's seat belt usage rate to an all-time high of 93.7%.
Why do slow drivers continually plant themselves in the left lane, the one meant to be occupied by faster, passing drivers? Are they oblivious, arrogant or just plain inconsiderate? Regardless of the reason, the left lane culprits would surely practice lane courtesy more regularly if they were reminded of the law in mass communications and saw New Jersey police officers handing out $300 fines for offenders.
I hope something is done soon to promote and enforce lane courtesy before my husband spends our life savings to develop his dream invention, The Auto Flicker. This is how it works: At the push of a button, a forklift contraption emerges from the front of your car, slides under the slow-poke in front of you, and gently flicks the car over to the right lane. I’m not wild about this option, but at least I wouldn’t have to fear for my safety. Or recline my seat and shut my eyes.
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