- Semi drivers face new restrictions on how they drive on Michigan freeways.
- Lawmakers will soon vote on a bill banning trucks from the far left lane.
- Drivers believe the change could make highways safer and traffic flow faster.
Semi-trucks are the blood pumping around America’s veins, hauling nearly everything that ends up on store shelves or doorsteps. Without them, the economy would grind to a halt, but it can feel like your progress has done the same when you’re in a hurry and stuck behind one.
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Now Michigan thinks it might have a fix, one that could make life a little easier for regular drivers and, supporters say, even make highways safer.
Lawmakers in the state’s capital, Lansing, will soon vote on a bill that would outlaw semis from driving in the far left lane of a freeway that has three lanes or more.
Why Michigan Wants to Act
Michigan already has a rule stating that semis should use the two right-most lanes, but this new one would expressly forbid them moving into the left lane, even to make a passing maneuver.
It would also make it easier for officers to hand out tickets to offenders, the bill’s backers say. If it passes, Michigan wouldn’t be the first state to make the far left lane a semi-free zone. Florida, Virginia and Illinois already restrict semis to the middle and right of their freeways.
“It’s a safety concern, because when there is slower traffic in that left lane, it slows down traffic, people begin braking, people begin passing wherever they can, you know on the right on the left in-between, they are just trying to move forward with where they are going,” said William Bruck, State Representative for 30th District in comments reported by ABC7.
Driver Frustration and Safety Fears
Many drivers will be hoping the bill does pass – and not only because it can be frustrating being stuck behind a semi which has often only moved into the left lane to pass, but then got trapped by traffic to its right.
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For others, it’s less about impatience and more about anxiety. Some find simply being around the trucks scary and get even more concerned about them trying to pull right from the left lane and causing an accident.
Not everyone, though, is cheering for the change. The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association argues that restricting truck movement isn’t the solution.
“Research has demonstrated that truck lane restrictions are difficult to enforce, accelerate pavement deterioration, create speed differentials, and increase merging conflicts and crashes,” it said in a statement. If it were up to you, which way would you vote?
