(WBIR - KNOXVILLE) Tennessee’s new “slow poke” driving law is impacting Knoxville drivers for the first time this holiday weekend.
The law makes it legal to ticket people for driving too slow in the fast lane.
It only applies to major highways with at least three lanes, and tickets will result in a $50 fine.
"A cluster of vehicles is never safe for anybody on the roadway,” Advanced Driving Academy owner David Yousif said. “So we like to tell our students to find a lane with the flow of traffic that you feel most comfortable driving in, and where you won't have to make other drivers adjust their speed or position."
The law does permit driving in the left lane during weather storms, and to avoid merging traffic and other hazards.
Though new to Tennessee, many other states have already passed similar legislation.
Georgia first began enforcing its own “slow poke” law in 2014. Georgia State Patrol troopers issued 320 tickets within the following year.
According to 10News’s sister station WXIA-TV, many of those drivers did not even know the law existed.
"You really have to push out that it is a law now,” said Knoxville driver Steven Csanadi.
It may take some time before word catches on here in Knoxville, but for many drivers it's never too late to start.
"[Slow driving in the fast lane] increases the risk of an accident, and driving is all about reducing risk,” Yousif said.
In addition to the slow poke law, 82 other laws went into effect last week in Tennessee.
The legislation touches multiple areas of concern, including wine sales, gun control and driving regulation.
You can find the full list of the laws that took effect on July 1 here.