I was in the passenger seat while driving with my elderly mom the other day and at one point she got in the left lane for some reason, and as you might expect we got tailgated by a few different people who went around us. I explained to her that she had to get over since it’s technically against the law. I wasn’t sure about that at the time (I just don’t want her to get hurt) but I looked it up later and now I’m pretty sure it is. Two questions- IS it against the law, even if she’s going the speed limit? And if so what’s the worst that can happen in terms of a fine?
You were correct. In the Commonwealth of Virginia, you must stay in the right lane unless you are passing a vehicle. The applicable statute in Virginia is as follows:
§ 46.2-802. Drive on right side of highways; penalty.
Except as otherwise provided by law, on all highways of sufficient width, the driver of a vehicle shall drive on the right half of the highway, unless it is impracticable to travel on such side of the highway and except when overtaking and passing another vehicle, subject to the provisions applicable to overtaking and passing set forth in Article 4 (§ 46.2-837 et seq.) of this chapter. A violation of this section is punishable by a fine of $100.
The $100.00 fine was just added as of July 1, 2017.
