On a realistic list of society's most pressing problems, people driving slowly in the left lane on the highway ranks pretty far down there. But authorities continue their satisfying crackdown on the issue of late, and this video of a Michigan police officer pulling over a left lane hog is the most satisfying thing you'll see all week.
Michigan is one of 44 states with a law on the books prohibiting people from cruising in the passing lane. Unlike more recent statutes, it's been part of the state's vehicle code for decades—and since it carves out a specific exception for heavy traffic conditions, it's not quite as common to see it enforced there. But coming on the heels of a viral tweet from an Indiana state trooper tabulating the number of tickets issued under their left lane law since 2015, this new video shows a Kent County sheriff's deputy reach the end of his rope with a slowpoke in front of him earlier this year.
The speed limit on that section of U.S. Route 131 through Grand Rapids is 65 mph, and the driver of what appears to be a Chevrolet Traverse struggles to maintain a consistent velocity, veering between 62 and 68 mph in the left lane with the deputy close behind in his Chevy Tahoe and other cars passing the pair on the right. The video uploader notes that the officer had been following the lane hog "for some time," and by the end of the clip he activates his emergency lights to finally pull them over.
Any chance the Traverse driver had at a warning—not to mention any viewer sympathy over getting stopped for averaging the speed limit—is immediately shot when they slow to complete stop in the middle of the left lane. Maybe they really don't know they can drive in the other lanes? Kidding aside, that little move put both themselves and the deputy in serious danger, and chances are they ended up with more than one pricey ticket.
Perhaps it shouldn't be surprising that someone who doesn't know to get out of the left lane when they're not passing also wouldn't know that the first thing to do when being pulled over is to, you know, actually pull over. But for all those lane hogs still out there, be warned—police are on the hunt.
