Coming Soon to a Highway Near You - "Left Lane for Passing Only" Signs

New signs will be placed on highways with 75 mph or higher speed limits

AUSTIN — The Texas Department of Transportation is installing additional “Left Lane for Passing Only” signs on all highways with a speed limit of 75 mph or higher. State law requires TxDOT to post these signs on highways where slower traffic is asked to stay in another lane.

“We want to make sure that travelers on our highways have a safe, efficient and enjoyable trip,” said Carol Rawson, TxDOT’s Traffic Operations Division Director. “Reminding the public that slower moving vehicles should use right lanes and that passing vehicles use left lanes will help
improve safety on our highways.”

Safety of the traveling public is always TxDOT’s No. 1 priority. Agency leaders think the expanded use of these signs will allow highway users to reach their intended destinations more safely and without undue delay due to slower moving vehicles. This is more important than ever with an increasing number of Texas highways with speeds of 75 mph or higher.

“Engineers generally consider highway travel to be the safest when vehicles are traveling at the same speeds,” Rawson said. “The use of these signs will help ensure that vehicles traveling at the posted speed limit will not be impeded or forced to make excessive lane changes when encountering a slower vehicle.”

TxDOT expects installation of approximately 3,400 new “Left Lane for Passing Only” signs to be completed by summer of 2013. The signs are enforceable and violators can be stopped and ticketed by law enforcement.