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Left lane laggers will be fined

By MATHEW PLAMONDON - Staff Writer | Jan 3, 2019

New Hampshire motorists drive on Everett Turnpike during the Wednesday afternoon commute. On Tuesday, state law began prohibiting use of the left lane on any multi-lane road as a main lane of travel.

NASHUA – New Hampshire motorists should now expect fines of $50 plus penalties for continuous left-lane driving on multi-lane roads and highways.

Tuesday brought in both a new year and a change concerning highway travel in New Hampshire. Those who are used to traveling mostly in the left lane are now subject to police stops and fines.

With a newly enforced revisions to the laws specifying left and right lane travel, New Hampshire State Police troopers will be strictly enforcing Chapter 256 Section 256:16, the statute outlining how motor vehicle operators follow traffic on not only highways, but also city roads containing multiple lanes of traffic.

The statute established the general rule in its original text, with the standard rule of driving on the right side of the road in any two-way street.

The addition to the law defines instances in which drivers are traveling on multi-lane roads, either with a median or a two-way street with multiple lanes of travel going in either one or both directions.

With the addition of paragraph IV, the statute now states motor vehicles shall not be operated continuously in the left lane of a multi-lane roadway whenever it impedes the flow of other traffic at or below the posted speed limit unless reasonable and prudent under the conditions having regard to the actual and potential hazards.

The statute’s original first three paragraphs were established Jan. 1, 1982. The revisions effectively render the left lane in most multi-lane roadways a passing lane to slower traffic, while keeping the right lane as a travel lane for vehicles traveling at or below the posted speed limit.

Drivers who are caught in violation of the paragraph IV are subject to penalties stated in paragraph V of the statue, also put into effect Jan. 1, stating any person who violates this section shall be fined $50 plus penalty assessment.

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