Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D.) is working to take the teeth out of bipartisan legislation aimed at making the commonwealth's highways safer by putting high fines on slow drivers who clog up the left lane.
Legislation was sent to the governor's office that would set the fine for blocking the fast lane at a mandatory minimum of $250, rather than up to $250, as it exists currently. Traffic experts say that slow drivers in passing lanes are among the most dangerous drivers on the road due to the confusion, aggravation, and accidents that are caused by disrupting traffic patterns.
However, McAuliffe decided not to pass the law, and instead sent it back to the legislature recommending that they reduce the fine to a mandatory minimum of just $100.
The recommendation was agreed to by one chamber of the legislature, but could still be rejected and return to McAuliffe's desk as it was originally written, according to the Suffolk News-Herald:
The bill, which specified a fine of $250, was passed by both chambers of the General Assembly and sent to the governor for approval. Rather than sign or veto the legislation, McAuliffe recommended Friday that lawmakers amend the bill by lowering the fine from the $250 to $100.
On Saturday, the House voted 89-8 to adopt the governor’s recommendation. The Senate is expected to act on the matter when legislators return to the Capitol for a one-day session on April 5.
If the amendment fails to receive a majority vote in the Senate, the bill would return to the governor with the $250 fine, and he could sign or veto it.
Slow left lane driving has been proven to be a leading cause of accidents and congestion on roads. Though most states have traffic laws giving guidance on when the left lane should be used, few regularly enforce them.
Before he became governor, McAuliffe launched an electric car company called GreenTech Automotive. Its MyCar has a top speed of only 25 miles per hour.