Seth A. Richardson

srichardson@rgj.com

Tired of slow drivers in the left hand lane? So are two Nevada lawmakers.

Assemblyman Chris Edwards, R-Las Vegas, and John Ellison, R-Elko, both introduced bills to bar slow drivers from the furthest left lane on the roads. Drivers found going too slow would be fined $50 the first time, $100 the second time within seven years and $250 the third time within seven years.

“I just hate it when you’re trying to get around them and there’s trucks going up big mountains and you can’t get around either one,” Ellison said.

Edwards said he reached much of the same conclusion when talking to people in his district.

"When we get into the conversation with the constituents, they’re all in agreement that they can’t stand the fact people don’t have the road courtesy and they don’t follow the rules of the road," he said. "They just stay over there and never move over."

The ban does not completely outlaw a person from driving slow in the left hand lane, only when impeding other drivers from passing. Certain exceptions exist, such as if the weather is bad, for construction or emergency vehicles or if law enforcement directs a driver to do so.

There’s also a safety issue, especially on mountains when cars try to get around trucks, Ellison said. Slower traffic prohibits that and can lead to accidents.

“Lately, it’s been really, really bad,” he said. “The people from California and Idaho seem to think that’s the standard travel lane.”

Ellison said his main goal was to get signs on the roads in the mountain areas directing slower traffic to the left, another portion of the bill.

Ellison and Edwards represent vastly different parts of the state. Edwards represents part of the densely populated Clark County while Ellison represents the largest and most sparsely populated district in the state centered in Elko.

"It’s a statewide problem," Edwards said.

This post has been updated with comments from Chris Edwards.

Seth A. Richardson covers politics for the Reno Gazette-Journal. Like him on Facebook here or follow him on Twitter at @SethARichardson.