Buzzing south Thursday morning on Interstate 5, Trooper Will Finn glanced to his left to see a driver in the left lane throw her hands up in frustration at the minivan in front of her. The minivan was traveling slower than the speed limit and was passed on the right by another vehicle.
“That’s exactly why we’re out here,” Finn said. “When traffic is passing you on the right, that’s a good indicator to move over.”
A top complaint the Washington State Patrol receives is about left-lane violators, or “left-lane hogs,” as Finn calls them.
Motorists who camp out in the left lane when they aren’t passing are breaking the law, and WSP troopers are cracking down on that behavior this week in a three-day statewide campaign.
“That left lane is intended for passing vehicles only,” he said. “The law states that you have to get over and allow traffic to move freely in that left lane. … By having that left lane open, you’re allowing the successful flow of traffic on the interstate system or on a state route.”
Finn said the problem is especially prevalent in Clark County, because Oregon doesn’t have a similar law on its books.
The problem of left-lane violators was addressed by state lawmakers this year with Senate Bill 6105. The bill, which didn’t pass in the regular session, looked to address obnoxious, inconsiderate and dangerous behavior by applying a sliding scale of fines based on how much below the speed limit the left-lane drivers are traveling.
“If it’s gone that far, obviously it’s a problem in this state,” Finn said.
Robert Ostrander, a 37-year-old Oregon driver who was pulled over by Finn on Thursday, was driving a truck hauling a trailer the left lane, which is illegal in Washington if there are three or more lanes.
“I wasn’t aware,” Ostrander said. “I’m going to go home and look at the laws, and make sure I haven’t been in violation in Oregon.”
Similarly, Finn said that frustration might boil over when Washington drivers cross into Oregon and expect drivers to obey a law that doesn’t exist south of the Columbia River.
“The fact is, we have an education issue,” Finn said. “We’ve got one large community that stretches two states.”
Though left-lane violators might seem like a small problem to some, Finn said that the frustration can lead to following too closely, road rage and possibly collisions.
“It’s a domino effect that can stretch over time,” Finn said.
During the enforcement campaign, which continues today, Finn said that troopers also are looking for other violations — including distracted driving — that are both dangerous and frustrating.
At the end of the day, Finn said, the goal is to help drivers make the roads safer.
“Even if we only get a handful of people to change their driving habits, that’s a successful day,” he said.
