American highway etiquette is fairly straightforward. Faster traffic uses the left or “passing” lane for overtaking. Slower traffic keeps to the far right lane. Occasionally, there are issues with “left lane campers” – potentially but not necessarily driving Subaru Foresters – who drive slowly in the left lane. Beyond being annoying, this can cause a myriad of issues, such as impeding the flow of traffic and causing safety issues by forcing other drivers into potentially illegal or dangerous maneuvers like passing on the right.
Apparently, the state of Louisiana is fed up with left-lane camping. A new law that went into effect on August 1, 2025, imposed a sequence of new escalating fines for driving slowly in the left lane that could eventually result in jail time for repeat offenders.
Louisiana’s New Fines For Left-Lane Camping
Louisiana’s state legislature passed a new law, Act 24 SB 11. The initial law instructed drivers traveling more than 10 mph below the speed limit to travel in the far right lane unless overtaking or passing. The new law amends the existing law to account for drivers traveling below the posted speed limit instead of 10 mph below. It now reads as follows.
Any vehicle 11 proceeding on a multilane highway at a speed slower than the posted maximum speed limit shall be driven in the right hand lane then 13 available for traffic, or as close as practicable to the right hand curb or edge of the 14 roadway, except when overtaking and passing a vehicle proceeding in the same 15 direction or when preparing for a left turn at an intersection or into a private road or 16 driveway.
Louisiana also increased the punishments for violating this law. The original law capped potential fines for this at $100 or less. The new law institutes a $150 fine for the first offense. A second offense within 12 months of the first offense is a $250 fine. A third offense within 12 months can result in a $350 fine, a jail sentence of up to 30 days, or both.
Louisiana’s new left-lane camping regulations are one of several new traffic laws the state put into effect on August 1st. The state made any handheld phone use while driving illegal, which will be enforced with $100 fines and $250 fines in school or construction zones after January 1. Louisiana also enhanced its “no play, no pay” insurance law. Drivers without insurance would be prohibited from collecting the first $100,000 in damages, even in an accident where they were not at fault.
Laws On Left-Lane Camping Vary By State In The US
The United States does not have a uniform law related to “left-lane camping.” And Louisiana is not the only state looking to toughen its laws. Enforcement and punishment is left to the states. A 2019 survey found that a majority of states have laws stating that slower traffic must keep to the right. A handful of states escalate that to anyone traveling below the posted speed limit.
Several states prohibit left-lane travel at all, unless passing or turning left. A few states, such as Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Washington, prohibit travel outside the right lane (even on multiple-lane highways) unless passing.
Sources: Carscoops, GoUpstate.com
