Dear Colorado: If You’re Driving Slow, Get Out of the Left Lane

Don't get me wrong. I love living in Colorado. From the mountains to the craft beer scene to the near-constant sunshine, what's not to love about the Centennial State?

Well, there is one thing: our driving. Driving in Colorado actually sucks, and this isn't just my opinion — there's even a TikTok account dedicated to how bad we are on the road.

Bankrate and WalletHub have released studies on Colorado's crappy driving, and two of my non-native coworkers have composed diatribes about residents' inability to understand roundabouts and the art of honking (although, Chris, may I suggest Larry David's "gentle honk?").

I do not proclaim to be an amazing driver, but I, too, will shout my grievance into the void: if you're driving slow on the highway, get out of the left lane.

I cannot count the number of times I've seen traffic backed up on I-25 because someone in the left lane is going the same speed as people in the right lane, preventing anyone from passing. This act is not only annoying, but it is also illegal.

A person shall not drive a motor vehicle in the passing lane of a highway if the speed limit is sixty-five miles per hour or more unless such person is passing other motor vehicles that are in a nonpassing lane or turning left, or unless the volume of traffic does not permit the motor vehicle to safely merge into a nonpassing lane.

The above quotation is from Colorado's "Left Lane Law," according to the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT). CDOT clarified that "common traffic-flow conflicts in Colorado occur when slower-moving vehicles occupy left-hand travel lanes."

The agency also noted that slow driving in the left lane leads to frustration and aggressive driving. Could this road rage be a "me" problem? Maybe, but CDOT doesn't seem to think so.

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The left lane is only for those going the speed limit or a little over. CDOT even said it: "What sense did it make to cite a driver for impeding traffic, when at the same the driver was obeying the posted speed limit?"

There you have it, slow drivers. Please, for the love of all that is good, stay in your own lane.