ARDOT to highway drivers: Left lane is for passing only

The Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) and law enforcement officials are reminding drivers to use the left lane for passing only.

In 2021, Act 1090 was passed into Arkansas State Law which outlines the conditions drivers must meet while traveling on multilane highways in the same direction.

Act 1090 was designed to prevent backups on roadways and, in turn, increase safety by limiting left-lane driving to passing only. See text of Act 1090 below. ??

Except for situations when lanes are blocked, the law requires drivers to use the right lanes for travel, reserving the left-most lane for passing only.

“We want to remind drivers that it’s illegal and dangerous to impede the flow of traffic by driving in the left lane,” said Arkansas Highway Police Chief Jeff Holmes.

A recent report shows that 411 citations and 3,100 warnings for left-lane driving have been issued by state and local law enforcement since the law went into effect in 2021.

“Some people don’t realize they are breaking the law when they continuously drive in the left lane and impede other vehicles from passing,” ARDOT Director Lorie Tudor stated. “ARDOT and our law enforcement agencies are working to educate drivers and increase safety on our roadways.”

See text of Act 1090 below. ??

ACT 1090 STATES:

SECTION 1. Arkansas Code § 27-51-301(a) and (b), concerning the exceptions to the requirement that vehicles be driven on the right side of a multilane roadway, is amended to read as follows:

Except as otherwise provided in this section, a vehicle shall not be driven upon the left lane of a multilane highway, except as follows:

(1) When overtaking and passing another vehicle proceeding in the same direction under the rules governing that movement;

(2) When all other lanes for traveling in the same direction are closed to traffic while under construction or repair;

(3) When all other lanes for traveling in the same direction are in disrepair or are in an otherwise undrivable or unsafe condition; or

(4) When a vehicle is preparing to exit the multilane highway on the left.

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To view the full text of Act 1090, click here.

Real-time travel information can be found at IDriveArkansas.com or ARDOT.gov.