New CT Law Targets Left-Lane ‘Campers’ on Highways

If you’ve ever been stuck behind a slow driver hogging the left lane, you’re not alone — and Connecticut is doing something about it. A new state law aims to crack down on left-lane “camping,” making it easier for police to issue citations and aligning the state with federal highway standards.

While it’s already technically illegal in Connecticut to linger in the left lane, the updated law provides clearer enforcement authority and allows for new highway signage about proper lane use.

“It’s dangerous for someone, maybe not even going the speed limit, traveling at 50 in a 55 or 65 zone in that left lane,” said Josh Morgan, spokesperson for the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT). “It prohibits emergency vehicles from getting to where they need to go.”

The change doesn’t come with expectations of widespread ticketing, but rather a public awareness campaign. Signs reminding drivers that the left lane is for passing only will be installed across the state.

Some residents, like Chris Thompson of Southbury, are skeptical about how the law will be enforced on highways with changing lane patterns, such as I-84 west of Waterbury.

“If you’re in the left lane and the highway shifts from two to three lanes with the new lane on the right, does everyone merge into the center? Will drivers cooperate?” he asked.

Jay Beeber of the National Motorists Association, which observes June as Lane Courtesy Month, supports lane discipline in principle but warns against over-policing.

“Hopefully it won’t be used as a pretext to pull people over,” Beeber said. “If someone’s alone in the left lane and not blocking anyone, it’s a ‘no harm, no foul’ situation — but they still shouldn’t be there.”

Morgan emphasized that the new law isn’t about raising revenue or running checkpoints like those for DUI or seat belt enforcement. Instead, it ensures compliance with the federal Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices, allowing the state to reinforce common-sense driving behavior.

“It’s just one more tool in the toolbox,” Morgan said. “Everyone who’s driven on the highway has been frustrated by someone just camping out in the left lane. This law gives us a way to address that more clearly.”

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