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Driving Too Slow? What You Need to Know
Admin • August 20, 2019
Driving Too Slow? What You Need To Know — Hillsville, VA — Tolbert & Tolbert, LLP

While many people associate driving slowly with driving safely, the two are not necessarily connected. Did you know that driving too slowly in Virginia may actually be a traffic offense? Drivers who are unable to keep up with traffic may present a danger to others. If you did not realize you could receive a citation for driving too slowly, keep reading.


What Are the Laws?

According to Virginia state law, nobody may operate a motor vehicle at a speed that impedes the reasonable movement of traffic. Reduced speed is allowable if doing so is necessary to operate the vehicle safely or in accordance with the law.



Often, this law is most applicable to drivers who maintain a position in the left lane on the highway. Drivers who do this do not give other drivers the opportunity to pass legally, and the action also puts other drivers on the road at risk. Drivers should stay in the right lanes except when passing.



The laws are important because slow drivers can contribute to traffic congestion. Additionally, slow drivers can contribute to road rage and aggressive driving on Virginia's highways. Emergency personnel, including police officers and paramedics, also can feel endangered by slow drivers in the left lane who may not get out of the way for lights and sirens.



Why Do People Drive Slow?

Many people simply do not realize they are driving too slow in the left lane. They may become distracted, they may feel as if they are driving safely, or perhaps they feel slighted by another vehicle trying to pass them. Often, drivers are safest when they move out of the left lane when clear to do so.



What Is the Punishment for Driving Too Slow?

Driving slowly in the left lane is a primary offense, which means you can get pulled over for doing so. The result? A ticket and a fine — on top of anything else the ticketing officer finds.



Virginia issues tickets for $100 related to driving slow in the left lane. According to USA Today, the fines have helped Virginia rake in more than $1 million. While the fine for an initial citation may not seem like much, you may not want such a citation on your record.



How Can You Defend Against Allegations of Slow Driving?

You can take several steps to defend against allegations of slow driving. For example, you might have evidence you had to slow down to make an upcoming turn. Or maybe you had just passed a large vehicle and intended to move back to the right lane when safe to do so.



Weather conditions also impact your ability to drive safely at a certain speed. For example, the weather may be too foggy or too rainy for you to drive any faster. These conditions might also apply to your vehicle. For instance, you may have just realized that something was very wrong with your car and you needed to slow down quickly.



In the tickets handed out from July 2017 to April 2018, people challenged 2,000 of 16,000 citations. Some of those tickets pertained to trucks driving in the left lane, but 2,000 tickets were specific to driving slow in the left lane. Of the tickets challenged, only 600 were upheld. As you can see, you can fight the citation successfully in court.



Tolbert & Tolbert, LLP, is a legal firm that understands your need to fight traffic citations and accusations. Do you have a ticket to fight? Call us today to fight back against your traffic citations. We are available to meet to discuss your case and answer your questions.

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