Can you drive in the left lane without passing in NC? What the law says

One of the first things you learn before you get your driver’s license in North Carolina is that the left lane is the passing lane.

In a perfect world, all drivers traveling below the speed limit stay in the right lane, allowing for those driving faster to safely pass them.

But driving in North Carolina for any amount of time will tell you that’s not the case.

An easy solution to this problem would be to stay in the left lane to avoid getting stuck behind slow drivers. But is it legal to do that if you’re not passing a vehicle?

Here’s what you need to know.

Can you get a ticket for driving in the left lane without passing?

Yes, but only if officers have a reason to stop you, Master Trooper Christopher Casey of the N.C. State Highway Patrol told The Observer.

“It comes down to officer discretion and whether there has been a clear-cut, substantial violation of the law,” Casey said.

There’s no state law that specifically prohibits drivers from driving in the left lane without passing, Casey said, but officers could issue tickets for other offenses, such as speeding or reckless driving.

Can you get a ticket for driving too slowly in the left lane?

Yes. But whether or not you’ll get a ticket for driving slowly in the left lane depends on the officer who pulls you over, The Charlotte Observer previously reported.

North Carolina law requires drivers moving slower than the speed limit to keep right — unless they’re passing another vehicle or making a left turn. But the state doesn’t have a specific law that makes it illegal to drive slowly in the left lane, Casey said.

But a bill the currently sits in the state House could change that.

House Bill 864 would make it illegal for a person to “operate a motor vehicle in the left lane of a multilane highway at a speed that impedes the normal and reasonable movement of traffic,” meaning officers could issue citations to drivers traveling too slow in the passing lane, The News & Observer previously reported.

For now, drivers could face a citation for impeding traffic, which is prohibited under state law.

“You could get a ticket for it, but the officer would have to articulate what they were doing to impede traffic versus just not going as fast as someone wanted them to,” Casey said.

Driving well below the speed limit isn’t automatically against the law, he added. “In some cases, it’s actually necessary.”

Can you get a ticket for speeding around a slow driver?

Even if you’re stuck behind a slow driver, speeding to pass them isn’t allowed in North Carolina — and you could get a ticket for it, The Charlotte Observer previously reported.

The state uses absolute speed limits, which means driving even slightly over the posted limit is a violation of the law. According to Coast to Coast NC Law Group, exceeding the speed limit can result in a misdemeanor charge.

This story was originally published July 16, 2025 at 3:34 PM with the headline "Can you drive in the left lane without passing in NC? What the law says."

Evan Moore

The Charlotte Observer

Evan Moore is a service journalism reporter for the Charlotte Observer. He grew up in Denver, North Carolina, where he previously worked as a reporter for the Denver Citizen, and is a UNC Charlotte graduate.