Another State Is Cracking Down On Slow Drivers Hogging The Left Lane
You always hear about drivers getting caught speeding, but what about drivers getting caught driving too slow? That's becoming a very big issue in Colorado, where "lane camping" has led to thousands of drivers getting pulled over. In 2025, Colorado State Troopers pulled over 2,540 drivers for blocking traffic flow in the fast lane on the highway.
A press release from the Colorado State Patrol Department of Public Safety states that slow drivers in the left lane — or passing lane — disrupt traffic flow by causing bottlenecks, "often creating additional hazards for other motorists." The press release also reminds road users that multi-lane roads in the state with a 65 mph speed limit or greater require slower drivers to stay on the right.
This jump in drivers being pulled over for going too slow coincides with other states' efforts to crack down on slow drivers. In 2025, for example, Arizona made it illegal for drivers to be in the left lane if they're driving slower than traffic.
This doesn't mean you should speed in Colorado, or anywhere else
Colorado State Patrol's push to punish slow drivers is not meant to encourage speeding in Colorado. In fact, it's not just slow drivers that are ignoring the traffic laws of the highway. In the same press release, Col. Matthew C. Packard added that even drivers driving at the speed limit are not supposed to stay in the left lane. Colorado highways' left lanes are meant solely for passing, with drivers otherwise required to stay in the right lanes.
While driving slowly can get you pulled over, driving fast can have much more dire consequences. In 2023, 11,775 people were killed across the United States in speed-related crashes. Various states have been cracking down on speeding, including by implementing new speed camera technology and increasing punishments for excessive speeding. While the first-ever speeding ticket was issued in 1896 for a driver going 4 mph, those caught speeding on the highway today are going 75 mph or more. A vehicle going 80 mph takes 439 feet to stop, and that distance can lead to serious accidents — or worse.