UDOT Reminds ‘Left Lane Loafers’ To Keep Right, Except To Pass

AMERICAN FORK, Utah – An effort to remind drivers about the law of staying out of the left or “fast” lane on Utah’s freeways is showing up now on ten freeway overpasses along Interstate 15 between Ogden and Provo.

The signs have been added in recent weeks and are part of the latest effort by UDOT to make the freeway safer, and raise awareness among drivers to not stay or drive slow in the left lane.​

“It’s one of the top complaints from people saying that, well, they call them ‘left lane loafers’ — people that kind of stay in the left lane and won’t allow other people to pass,” said John Gleason, spokesman for the Utah Department of Transportation.

On I-15 between the Point of the Mountain and 9000 South Tuesday afternoon, our KSL crew watched a driver who remained in the left lane continuously for at least five miles, traveling at just 60 mph, forcing traffic to pass on the right.​

“You’re trying to pass on the left side there and you can’t so they go around and pass on the right and that creates a safety concern and that’s something that we want to avoid,” Gleason said.

These signs aren’t the only effort UDOT has made to remind drivers to only use the left lane to pass to keep the freeway flowing as it was designed.​

“This actually goes back several years ago, you’ll see some stationary signs on the side of the freeway that we put up in early 2013 and so it’s not a new message but it’s one that oftentimes maybe gets overlooked,” he said.

So to avoid looks, or perhaps even road rage, UDOT officials hoped this message hits home.​

“We want to put that out there just as a reminder to people that this is the law that those left lanes are for passing,” Gleason added.​

UDOT said drivers need to remember that this sign does not take priority over other common signs on the freeway — mainly speed limit signs. They said if drivers travel faster than the posted sign in the left lane, they do so at the risk of getting a ticket.​