House File 126 - Introduced



                                       HOUSE FILE       
                                       BY  JENKINS


    Passed House, Date                Passed Senate,  Date             
    Vote:  Ayes        Nays           Vote:  Ayes        Nays         
                 Approved                            

                                      A BILL FOR

  1 An Act relating to driving in the passing lane on certain
  2    multilaned highways and providing a penalty.
  3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
  4 TLSB 1791YH 81
  5 dea/sh/8

PAG LIN



  1  1    Section 1.  NEW SECTION.  321.301  PASSING LANE.
  1  2    1.  A person shall not drive a motor vehicle in the passing
  1  3 lane of a multilaned highway if the speed limit is sixty=five
  1  4 miles per hour unless the person is turning left or overtaking
  1  5 and passing another vehicle that is in a nonpassing lane, or
  1  6 unless the volume of traffic does not permit the motor vehicle
  1  7 to safely merge into a nonpassing lane.
  1  8    2.  For purposes of this section, the following definitions
  1  9 apply:
  1 10    a.  "Nonpassing lane" means any lane that is to the right
  1 11 of the passing lane.
  1 12    b.  "Passing lane" means the lane that is farthest to the
  1 13 left when there are two or more adjacent lanes of traffic
  1 14 moving in the same direction.  However, if the farthest lane
  1 15 to the left is reserved for high occupancy vehicles or for
  1 16 vehicles making left turns only, "passing lane" means the lane
  1 17 immediately to the right of the high occupancy or left=turn
  1 18 lane.
  1 19    3.  A person convicted of a violation of this section is
  1 20 guilty of a simple misdemeanor punishable as a scheduled
  1 21 violation under section 805.8A, subsection 6, paragraph "c".
  1 22    Sec. 2.  Section 805.8A, subsection 6, paragraph c, Code
  1 23 2005, is amended to read as follows:
  1 24    c.  For violations under sections 321.288, 321.297,
  1 25 321.299, 321.301, 321.303, 321.304, subsections 1 and 2,
  1 26 sections 321.305, 321.306, 321.311, 321.312, 321.314, 321.323,
  1 27 321.340, 321.353, 321.354, and 321.395, the scheduled fine is
  1 28 thirty=five dollars.
  1 29                           EXPLANATION
  1 30    This bill prohibits a person from driving a vehicle in the
  1 31 passing lane of a multilaned highway where the speed limit is
  1 32 65 miles per hour unless the person is turning left or
  1 33 overtaking and passing another vehicle, or unless the volume
  1 34 of traffic does not permit the vehicle to merge safely into a
  1 35 nonpassing lane to the right.  A violation is a simple
  2  1 misdemeanor punishable by a scheduled fine of $35.
  2  2 LSB 1791YH 81
  2  3 dea:nh/sh/8