Can you drive in the left lane without passing in NC? What the law says
In a perfect world, all drivers traveling below the speed limit stay in the right lane, allowing for those driving faster to safely pass them.
But driving in North Carolina for any amount of time will tell you that's not the case.
An easy solution to this problem would be to stay in the left lane to avoid getting stuck behind slow drivers. But is it legal to do that if you're not passing a vehicle?
Here's what you need to know.
Can you get a ticket for driving in the left lane without passing?
Yes, but only if officers have a reason to stop you, Master Trooper Christopher Casey of the N.C. State Highway Patrol told The Observer.
'It comes down to officer discretion and whether there has been a clear-cut, substantial violation of the law,' Casey said.
There's no state law that specifically prohibits drivers from driving in the left lane without passing, Casey said, but officers could issue tickets for other offenses, such as speeding or reckless driving.
Can you get a ticket for driving too slowly in the left lane?
Yes. But whether or not you'll get a ticket for driving slowly in the left lane depends on the officer who pulls you over, The Charlotte Observer previously reported.
North Carolina law requires drivers moving slower than the speed limit to keep right — unless they're passing another vehicle or making a left turn. But the state doesn't have a specific law that makes it illegal to drive slowly in the left lane, Casey said.
But a bill the currently sits in the state House could change that.
House Bill 864 would make it illegal for a person to 'operate a motor vehicle in the left lane of a multilane highway at a speed that impedes the normal and reasonable movement of traffic,' meaning officers could issue citations to drivers traveling too slow in the passing lane, The News & Observer previously reported.
For now, drivers could face a citation for impeding traffic, which is prohibited under state law.
'You could get a ticket for it, but the officer would have to articulate what they were doing to impede traffic versus just not going as fast as someone wanted them to,' Casey said.
Driving well below the speed limit isn't automatically against the law, he added. 'In some cases, it's actually necessary.'
Can you get a ticket for speeding around a slow driver?
Even if you're stuck behind a slow driver, speeding to pass them isn't allowed in North Carolina — and you could get a ticket for it, The Charlotte Observer previously reported.
The state uses absolute speed limits, which means driving even slightly over the posted limit is a violation of the law. According to Coast to Coast NC Law Group, exceeding the speed limit can result in a misdemeanor charge.
Ask the North Carolina Service Journalism Team
Have a question about your community you'd like answered? Or maybe a tip or story idea you'd like to share? The service journalism teams at The News & Observer and The Charlotte Observer want to hear from you.
If you have a question about the Charlotte area, send The Charlotte Observer team a question by submitting questions to this form.
If you have a question about Raleigh or a Triangle area community, send The News & Observer team a question by submitting questions to this form.
It's almost tax-free weekend. Here's a list of places to shop near Charlotte
Charlotte ranked among most liveable cities in the world. See the full list
Solve the daily Crossword
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
40 minutes ago
- Yahoo
AP Top Extended Financial Headlines at 4:17 a.m. EDT
General Motors' profit and revenue declined in its second-quarter but the automaker's results managed to easily top Wall Street's expectations and the company stuck by its full-year financial outlook that it lowered in May
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Trump Strikes Deal With Ally Japan Setting Tariff Rate at 15%
(Bloomberg) -- Trump Awards $1.26 Billion Contract to Build Biggest Immigrant Detention Center in US Why the Federal Reserve's Building Renovation Costs $2.5 Billion Salt Lake City Turns Winter Olympic Bid Into Statewide Bond Boom Milan Corruption Probe Casts Shadow Over Property Boom How San Jose's Mayor Is Working to Build an AI Capital President Donald Trump reached a trade deal with Japan that will impose 15% tariffs on imports including automobiles from the key American ally, while creating a $550 billion fund to make investments in the US. The agreement, touted by Trump after he secured breakthroughs in a final 75-minute Oval Office meeting Tuesday with Japanese negotiators, spares the nation from a threatened 25% tariff that was set to take effect next week. 'They had their top people here and we worked on it long and hard, and it's a great deal for everybody,' Trump said at a White House event Tuesday evening. Under the deal, automobiles and parts would be subjected to the same 15% rate as Japan's other exports, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said in Tokyo, amid local media reports that he's planning to step down in the wake of the agreement following a poor showing for his party in an election on Sunday. In return, Japan will accept cars and trucks built to US motor vehicle safety standards, without subjecting them to additional requirements — a potentially major step to selling more American-built vehicles in the country. The auto sector tariff had been one of the main sticking points in the negotiations. Shares in Japanese carmakers jumped in Tokyo on reports the auto sector rate would be lowered to 15% from 25% for Japan. Toyota Motor Corp. rose as much as 16%, compared with gains of around 3% in the Topix benchmark index in the early afternoon. The yen strengthened against the dollar at first, before weakening after the reports of Ishiba's intention to resign. $550 Billion A centerpiece of the pact with Japan is the $550 billion investment pledge. A senior US administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity to outline the agreement, said the pledge was akin to a sovereign wealth fund under which Trump himself could steer investments inside the US. Final terms of the agreement still need to be enshrined in a formal proclamation. Legal particulars and other details surrounding the pledge are still being hammered out, according to the official. The investment timeline is not certain, and it's not clear whether Trump would be able to allocate the full sum during his term. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick advocated for and helped design the investment fund as a core pillar of the deal, an official familiar with talks said. Trump's previous trade deals haven'tcluded that mechanism. The source of the Japanese funding was also not immediately available. Ishiba said the investment sum would reach as much as $550 billion and would partly come in the form of loan guarantees. Trump played the role of closer after eight rounds of negotiations, pressing for more concessions and securing better terms for the US in that final Oval Office meeting with Japan's chief trade negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, the official said. Lutnick and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent joined in the final talks. Trump has a track record of making last-minute demands in talks, including before the US inked its agreement with the UK. Previously, US and Japanese officials were said to be discussing a fund of around $400 billion, with profits equally split. But under the terms hashed out in the Oval Office meeting, Japan agreed to provide $550 billion to invest in projects in America through vehicles returning 90% of the profits to the US. A photo shared by Trump aide Dan Scavino on social media showed the initial figure was $400 billion, which appears to have been crossed out by Trump and replaced by a hand-written $500 billion, before they settled at $550 billion. The official pointed to one hypothetical scenario of how the investments might work. The president could, for instance, select a semiconductor manufacturing project that could be built with Japanese funds, leased to operating companies and the resulting leasing profit divided 90-10 between the US and Japan. Boeing, Rice, Defense Japan has also agreed to buy 100 Boeing Co. aircraft, boost rice purchases by 75% and buy $8 billion in agricultural and other products while hiking defense spending with American firms to $17 billion annually, from $14 billion, the senior official said. Japan will also participate in an LNG pipeline project in Alaska, the official said, an apparent reference to a long-stalled $44 billion venture designed to export the state's gas around the globe. Trump told lawmakers at the White House Tuesday evening that Japan is 'forming a joint venture' on a proposed Alaskan LNG project. 'They're all set to make that deal now,' Trump said. Akazawa didn't mention those details when he outlined the deal in Washington. He said defense spending wasn't part of the deal, an indication that some of the specifics may still be under discussion or getting characterized in different ways. In Tokyo, Ishiba lauded the progress made. 'Japan and the US have been conducting close negotiations with our national interests on the line,' Ishiba said. 'The two nations will continue to work together to create jobs and good products.' Trump also pledged to give Japan a safety clause on forthcoming sectoral tariffs, including levies expected on semiconductors and pharmaceuticals — effectively agreeing to not treat the country worse than any other nation when it comes to those goods, the official said. In effect, that means Japan will be guaranteed whatever the lowest global rate is on those tariffs. US negotiators have so far resisted efforts to make exceptions and carveouts for sectoral tariffs, though the UK deal included a plan for limited relief from levies on steel. Trump has repeatedly zeroed in on the auto trade as he criticizes trade imbalances with Japan. Around 80% of the country's trade surplus with the US is in cars and auto parts. Deadline Looming The deal with Japan comes hours after Trump announced he had reached an agreement with the Philippines, setting a 19% tariff on the country's flurry of activity comes days before the president's Aug. 1 deadline for imposing so-called 'reciprocal' tariffs that will hit dozens of trading partners. Trump first announced the plan for sweeping tariffs on nearly every US trading partner in April, only to quickly put them on hold for 90 days amid market backlash in order to work out agreements. But that stretch saw the US finalize only a handful of deals and Trump instead moved to unilaterally impose rates on countries and blocs before the looming deadline. While the US president and his advisers initially suggested they planned to hold concurrent talks with trading partners, Trump has shown little patience for back-and-forth negotiations, instead saying his preference was to just set rates for other economies. In recent weeks, he has sent a slew of letters setting tariff levels and is also moving ahead on industry-specific levies that will target sectors such as copper, semiconductors and pharmaceutical drugs. While talks continue with major economies including the European Union and India, Trump said some 150 smaller countries will be hit with a blanket rate of between 10 and 15%. --With assistance from Isabel Reynolds, John Harney, Meghashyam Mali and Justin Sink. (Updates with further comments from Japan's prime minister, more details.) Elon Musk's Empire Is Creaking Under the Strain of Elon Musk Burning Man Is Burning Through Cash A Rebel Army Is Building a Rare-Earth Empire on China's Border Thailand's Changing Cannabis Rules Leave Farmers in a Tough Spot How Starbucks' CEO Plans to Tame the Rush-Hour Free-for-All ©2025 Bloomberg L.P. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Stellantis to recall over 120,000 US vehicles due to head restraints issue, NHTSA says
(Reuters) -Chrysler parent Stellantis is recalling 121,398 vehicles in the U.S. due to head restraints that may not lock properly and an increased risk of injury to the seat occupant during a crash, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on Wednesday. Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
