Northwest Iowa — It’s common to hear nowadays in regard to driving on four-lane divided highways — “Don’t camp out in the left lane.”
Often people get it in their head that those who are always talking about that are speeders who want you to keep the left lane open for them so they can pass all the slower cars. But, we had a chance to talk to Trooper Kevin Krull with the Iowa State Patrol recently, and he gives us another perspective on why you should drive less in the left lane.
And Krull says the problem with that is — you’re not expecting it.
He says people get lulled into a sense of safety on a 4-lane.
Krull says another issue is that if someone is going the wrong way, they’re probably impaired somehow too — either by alcohol or drugs, emotional issues, or age-related cognitive impairment — making it even harder to know what they’re going to do next.
So, Krull advises that as much as possible, you should drive in the right lane. He does remind people, however, about Iowa’s move-over law. If there’s a vehicle with flashing light on the right shoulder, such as a tow truck, emergency vehicle, or just a car with its flashers on, you need to move into the left lane if possible, and slow down, especially if you can’t move over.
Troooper Krull made his comments Thursday on the KIWA Talk of the Town Program, which can be heard on weekday mornings at 8:30 on KIWA-FM 105.3. We also post a podcast of every Talk of The Town Program, and you can find those by clicking here.
