A police sergeant has been labelled a hero for reminding people about the dangers of slow-driving.
His tweet, which has since gone viral, calls out ‘slowpokes’ and explains how he actually pulled someone over for a perceived lack of speed behind the wheel.
Sgt. Stephen Wheeles, an Indiana State Police public information officer for the Versailles District, posted a photo of a car he’d pulled over for violating a new law from 2015 which punishes those who drove slower in the left lane on a highway than a vehicle behind you.
Makes sense doesn’t it? Here’s the tweet:
I stopped this vehicle today for a left lane violation on I-65. The driver had approximately 20 cars slowed behind her because she would not move back to the right lane.
Again…if there are vehicles behind you, you must move to the right lane to allow them to pass. pic.twitter.com/tePjJ1Xigy
— Sgt. Stephen Wheeles (@ISPVersailles) June 16, 2018
He wrote:
I stopped this vehicle today for a left lane violation on I-65. The driver had approximately 20 cars slowed behind her because she would not move back to the right lane.
Again … if there are vehicles behind you, you must move to the right lane to allow them to pass.
IndyCar driver Graham Rahal tweeted:
This guy is my hero. Fast lane cruisers are one of my biggest frustrations!
This guy is my hero. Fast lane cruisers are one of my biggest frustrations! ? @ISPVersailles nice work https://t.co/5ATh2dSlU6
— Graham Rahal (@GrahamRahal) June 17, 2018
Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback and Fox Sports analyst Troy Aikman also tweeted in support of the move, saying ‘Finally!’
Wheeles added:
Wow … I am overwhelmed. You all are amazing!! Just trying to do my part to make the roadways safer for the traveling public. Blessings …
The spirit of the law is that since many people drive well above the speed limit, it creates an ‘accordion effect’ as traffic starts backing up behind the slower vehicle. This is where many of our crashes occur on the interstates. It’s all in the name of safety.
But he added in another response that it isn’t intended to encourage people to break the speed limit.
This is in no way encouraging people to speed. Those speeders are definitely in violation also. Vehicles all travel at different speeds. It was put in place to keep left lane drivers (or the family ten cars back) from getting run over by faster traffic while in the left lane.
— Sgt. Stephen Wheeles (@ISPVersailles) June 17, 2018
He finished:
This is in no way encouraging people to speed. Those speeders are definitely in violation, also. Vehicles all travel at different speeds. It was put in place to keep left lane drivers (or the family ten cars back) from getting run over by faster traffic while in the left lane.
The minimum speed limit is a law that, for the most part, is not really enforced here in the UK. Certain countries enforce the minimum speed limit in a rather more assertive manner than us, namely the US in this case.
Due to the rare use of this law, many of us in the UK will have never come across a minimum speed limit sign, if not altogether unaware of their existence.
Where the few minimum speed limit signs are in the UK, they are used to ensure traffic keeps running as normal, but outside of any place that has a minimum speed limit, it’s down to you the driver to use common sense.
Minimum speed limits are put in force to keep traffic moving at a speed that is consistent and clean. Vehicles that are in an endless cycle of acceleration and braking are at higher risk of crashes. The locations that minimum speed limits are mandatory are areas emergency services might struggle to gain access to, such as tunnels.
Stay safe out there people.
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