Florida bill would ban driving in the left lane except for passing, emergency

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulicka, R-Fort Myers, filed a bill Thursday for the 2024 Legislative Session that would ban “furthermost left-hand lane driving” on certain roadways in several cases.

HB 317 would bar drivers from using the leftmost lane on a road with two or more lanes and a speed limit of at least 65 miles per hour. Exceptions include if the left-hand lane is a high-occupancy lane or an identified left-turn lane.

If violated, motor vehicle drivers would be subject to a noncriminal traffic penalty, punishable as a moving violation. A monetary penalty amount was not specified.

In the bill, the left-hand lane is defined as the lane to the right of the high-occupancy lane or left-turn lane.

Under the legislation, drivers would still be permitted to use the left-hand lane to pass or overtake other vehicles. In addition, motor vehicles would be still authorized to exit a road from a left-hand lane or if directed by an official traffic device.

Emergency vehicles or vehicles occupied in highway maintenance or construction are omitted from the law.

Represented by Persons-Mulicka, House District 78 is located in Lee County. She was first elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 2020.

Persons-Mulicka filed a similar bill in January, but it did not pass.

If enacted, the bill would take effect Jan. 1, 2025.