Driving in the left lane on Oklahoma’s highways could get you more than a dirty look.

Drivers lolling in the left lane will receive citations from the Oklahoma Highway Patrol beginning this week, resulting in a fine of $188.50.

A copy of the law that went into effect Nov. 1 was passed out to troopers Thursday, said OHP Lt. Gary Isbell. As soon as troopers read it, they have to enforce it, he said.

The new law might take some getting used to around the Muskogee area. It shocked some area residents who were asked about it Thursday.

“Oh how stupid,” said Darvin Gray, 46. “We should be allowed to drive in both lanes. It will just cause more of a problem. That’s stupid.”

The law before Nov. 1 said if you were in the passing lane, you had to be driving at least the speed limit, Isbell said. Under the new law, a citation can be issued if you’re in the left lane and you’re not passing or preparing to turn left.

“Some people get in the left lane and drive the speed limit, thinking no one has the right to go faster anyway,” said Trooper Scott Miller with Troop C in Muskogee. “It’s not your job to sit in the left-hand lane to slow people down — that’s my job.”

Troopers indicated there could be a warning issued in the beginning of enforcement in the area.

“If someone does not know about the law — stopping them is a chance to explain it to them,” Isbell said.

Charity Kelley, 36, and her 16-year-old daughter, Sierra, expressed surprise at the new law.

“Wow,” Charity Kelley said upon learning about the law. “You remember that,” she told her daughter. “I can’t afford to pay no tickets.

“That’s ridiculous — both lanes are there for driving in them. It’s a silly law.”

Vicky Brown, 51, of Muskogee had to think about it a little. After she pondered the change, she said she didn’t like the new law.

“I don’t think that’s fair,” she said. “Why would they have two lanes if we can’t drive in both of them? That’s not right.”

Sometimes a person driving in the left lane and a person driving in the right lane might both be driving under the speed limit, causing a traffic jam, Miller said.

The real problem is those backed up behind them, Isbell said.

If an aggressive driver behind gets edgy and frustrated, they could do something that would cause an accident or injury, Isbell said.

That could be something “they might never do again the rest of their life or never did before,” he said. “Somebody could get killed.”



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