Corporal Tracy Webb on Thursday monitored traffic on the Athens Perimeter from an overpass and radioed instructions to Georgia State Patrol troopers posted nearby to pull over certain motorists.

But those drivers were not stopped for speeding.

The problem is that they weren't driving fast enough.

The traffic stops were conducted under the so-called "slowpoke" law that went into effect July 1.

The intent of the law is to make highways safer by forcing motorists to make way for faster-moving vehicles and reduce the potential for accidents that occur due to road rage, according to Webb, who is based at GSP Troop 32 in Athens.

"People who are driving faster sometimes get upset at people who are impeding them, causing them to make evasive maneuvers to get around the slower vehicles and sometimes lose control and crash," Webb said.

During a two-hour period on Thursday, troopers stopped 13 cars for impeding traffic in the passing lane on the Athens Perimeter near Timothy Road.

All of the drivers were verbally warned. None of them were aware of the new law, according to Webb.

"We just want to educate the public," the trooper said. "We don't want people to get caught off guard."

Webb would not give a date on which troopers will begin issuing impeding citations.

Violating the slowpoke law is a misdemeanor, which means it is an offense punishable by up to $1,000 and a year in jail.

In Athens-Clarke County, the fine for impeding traffic had been set at $100.

The new law is actually a revision of an existing one regarding the impeding of traffic. The legislation was introduced by state Rep. Bill Hitchens, R-Rincon, the former commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Safety.

Prior to being amended, the law forbade people from impeding traffic flow by driving under the posted speed limit in the passing lane while being overtaken from behind by a faster traveling vehicle.

Passing lane is defined under the law as the lane farthest to the left on a multi-lane road.

The revised law removed mention of offending motorists driving under the speed limit in the passing lane.

That means that motorists driving the speed limit must make way for speeders. "It's not giving people the freedom to speed, because if they're speeding we'll catch them down the road," Webb said.

Sometimes road rage incidents are triggered when people intentionally remain in the passing when a speeder comes up from behind, even though there is room for them to yield by moving to an outer lane, according to Webb.

"A lot of people are saying, 'I'm doing the speed limit so I'm going to slow them down,'" the trooper said. "That's taking the law into your own hands. If you're really concerned about someone's driving, make a call to the local 911 center and give a vehicle description and tag number."

The slowpoke law applies only to roadways with two or more lanes allowing for movement in the same direction.

The law leaves several provisions in which drivers can remain in the left lane:

� When traffic conditions or congestion make it necessary to drive in the passing lane;

� When inclement weather, obstructions, or hazards make it necessary to drive in the passing lane;

� When compliance with a law of this state or with an official traffic control device makes it necessary to drive in the passing lane;

� When a vehicle must be driven in the passing lane to exit or turn left;

� On toll highways, when necessary to pay a toll or use a pass;

� To authorized emergency vehicles engaged in official duties;

� To vehicles engaged in highway maintenance and construction operations.

Jeff Rothman, an Athens defense attorney who specializes in motor vehicle law, said that the slowpoke law will be difficult to enforce.

"The big question is what if someone's doing the speed limit and are they able to be pulled over" for a citation, Rothman said. "It's challengeable in that it the law may be vague for the person who is doing the speed limit."

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