Driving slowly in the left lane causes as many accidents as speeding, according to AutoInsurance.org. But until recently, states didn’t treat it as especially risky behavior. That’s changing fast. Every state bans blocking traffic. Every state except South Dakota regulates left-lane cruising. Now North Carolina plans to double down on both — and raise its minimum highway speed.

North Carolina’s House Bill 864 hasn’t been fully approved yet. But lawmakers hope to put it into effect in December 2025. One major change would raise the minimum highway speed to 10 mph below the posted limit. The idea is simple: reduce crashes by shrinking the speed difference between fast and slow drivers. On rural highways signed at 70 mph, this law would create a minimum of 60 mph. On highways with a 65 mph speed limit, the minimum would obviously be 55.

House Bill 864 also cracks down on left-lane camping

The proposal also targets drivers who linger in the passing lane. The bill states: “No person shall operate a motor vehicle in the left lane of a multilane highway at a speed that impedes the normal and reasonable movement of traffic.”

State Rep. Ray Picket explains, “People think the left lane, even on interstates, is just a driveway, and they may not even be going the speed limit. You’re supposed to pass on the left. It’s far more dangerous to pass on the right because you have cars in the other lane. It’s a safety thing more than anything else.”

North Carolina is following a regional trend. South Carolina banned left-lane camping in 2021. In Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and West Virginia, drivers can use the left lane only while actively completing a pass.