Jersey Shore Personal Injury and Employment Specialists

The importance of staying right except to pass

On Behalf of | Apr 20, 2017 | Car Accidents |

Pretty much anyone who has driven on one of New Jersey’s busy highways has noticed someone going slow in the left lane at one time or another. Not only is this practice annoying to many people, it is also technically illegal and potentially dangerous, according to Vox.

When drivers that are going slower than the speed of traffic hang out in the left lane, they prevent cars that want to travel faster from passing them. Meanwhile, other drivers who are going slowly but have followed the rules and stayed to the right are also preventing fast drivers from passing them as well. This then causes people who want to go fast to weave in between lanes and have to brake, both which increase the chance of an accident occurring.

By slower drivers all staying to the right and allowing faster drivers to pass them on the left, everyone on the road remains safer. This is because research has shown speed is not necessarily the biggest cause of traffic accidents but rather speed differential is. Drivers who travel slower than the cars around them are more likely to cause an accident those who are speeding.

While keeping right except to pass is the law in New Jersey, some people feel that law enforcement is not doing a good job of enforcing the rule. However, according to NJ.com, the number of tickets issued for failing to observe traffic years has indeed risen. In 2016, 41,758 summons were issued for such violations, in addition to 4,994 summonses that were issued for failing to keep right.