Latest news with #NCHighwayPatrol
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Can you drive in the left lane without passing in NC? What the law says
One of the first things you learn before you get your driver's license in North Carolina is that the left lane is the passing lane. 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
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Motor-vehicle accident, including diesel truck on NC 12
DARE CO, N.C. (WAVY) – A motor-vehicle accident on N.C. 12, near Bodie Lighthouse Road involving a diesel truck and a Ford F-150 left some injured Sunday, according to NC Highway Patrol. The status of the injuries are unknown. We will update this article when more information becomes available. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Yahoo
Troopers investigate fatal head-on crash involving a motorcycle in Salisbury
SALISBURY, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — A man is dead following a head-on crash in Salisbury Saturday night, according to NC Highway Patrol. On May 17, at approximately 9:17 p.m., troopers responded to a head-on collision on US 70 near Hurley School Road. Officials say a motorcycle crossed the concrete grass median and struck a Jeep Wrangler head-on. The driver of the motorcycle, Andra Arimathea Cowan, 66, of Cleveland died at the scene from his injuries. The driver of the Jeep was not injured. During the on-scene investigation, the roadway was closed for approximately two hours. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Yahoo
Mom kills 12-year-old son in crash and blames it on his girlfriend, WA cops say
A mom crashed her vehicle, killing her 12-year-old son, and blamed it on his girlfriend who wasn't at the scene, Washington deputies said. Authorities responded to the wreck at about 1:45 a.m. April 27 in Auburn, the King County Sheriff's Office said in a probable cause statement. The 38-year-old woman drove her 2018 Mercedes off the roadway, slid onto another street before hitting a ditch, which caused the car to 'launch into the air for approximately 150 feet,' deputies said. Her car then flipped at least once before coming to a rest about 700 feet from where it first went off the road, deputies said. No one in the vehicle was wearing a seat belt, and the woman was ejected from the car, deputies said. When authorities got to the scene, the 38-year-old woman was performing CPR on her son, deputies said. Authorities and medical responders took over CPR, but he was pronounced dead at 2:11 a.m., deputies said. Deputies said the woman smelled like alcohol, and she told them she had been drinking earlier that evening. They also discovered an empty vodka bottle near the crash, authorities said in the document. The woman said her son's girlfriend had been the one driving, but she wouldn't tell deputies her name, according to court documents. Deputies said they determined the mom had been driving based on evidence at the scene. She was arrested on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter. Her blood test results are pending following the crash, deputies said. Auburn is about a 30-mile drive south from Seattle. Garbage truck worker dies after being hit by passing car, NC Highway Patrol says Woman dancing on SUV falls off, is fatally run over by firetruck, MO cops says 19-year-old hit and dragged by 'reckless' driver in parking lot, Georgia cops say
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Yahoo
US 421 crash claims life of Sanford woman
A Sanford woman was killed Friday, April 11, when her car was hit by a truck on U.S. 421, according to the NC Highway Patrol. The crash happened about 6 a.m. at the Cox Mill Road intersection, Trooper C. Isbell said. Crystal Cain-Thorne, 53, was exiting Cox Mill Road in her Nissan Sentra to turn left on to US 421. As she entered the highway, a northbound tractor trailer crashed into the driver's side of the Sentra, Isbell said. Thorne was flown to the UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill where she died from her injuries. Isbell would not release the name of the truck driver, citing the ongoing investigation.
