Move Over - Or Else! Law Tickets Left Lane Drivers

By Lori Fullbright, the News On 6

TULSA, OK -- As people get ready to drive for the holidays, they should know Oklahoma has a new left lane law.

It is designed to get people out of the left lane who are clogging traffic and says you must drive in the right lane except to pass or to turn left.

House bill 1368 went into effect on November first and troopers say they will be enforcing it with tickets.

The drive, north on highway 75 from Okmulgee County to Tulsa, is one Matt Jones makes five days a week, morning and night.

One of his biggest pet peeves during his 60-mile round trip is people who drive in the left lane and refuse to budge.

"You can look down the highway two miles and see the taillights in the left lane, with no one around them for a half mile and they're running in the left lane like that's their lane and they'll never move out of it," Jones said.

Jones is so torqued about this issue that he wrote letters to state legislators, the Insurance Commission, the Transportation Department and more, about adding signs that say drivers should move to the right.

Nothing happened, until he learned Glen Smithson, a former OHP trooper, current legislator from Sallisaw co-authored a bill to clarify the law.

It doesn't say slower traffic keep right, it says you must drive in the right lane unless you're passing or getting ready to turn left.

Smithson told us he hopes it will make driving safer and cut down on road rage.     

Jones was so thrilled he called the Tulsa OHP office with an offer.

"Tell your troopers I will buy them a steak for every citation they write. They can come see. I'm just that ticked," Jones said.

They couldn't take him up on the offer but did promise to enforce the new law.

We could tell people don't seem aware of the law yet.

We followed the driver of a gold Suburban as they stayed in the left lane of highway 75 for miles and miles more, once they turned onto highway 1-69.

Jones figures many people won't change until they get hit with a ticket and for him, that can't come soon enough.

The cost of getting a left lane ticket is the minimum ticket OHP gives, which is $188.50.

There are provisions in the law for situations when all lanes of traffic are full and you must drive in the left lane.

Read the Entire bill here - Oklahoma House Bill 1368