Colorado State Patrol pulled over 2,540 for ‘camping’ in the left lane last year, with more than one-third on I-70

Colorado is a great place to camp, as long as it's not in the left lane, according to the State Patrol

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The Colorado State Patrol pulled over about 960 drivers on Interstate 70 last year for ‘camping’ in the left lane, according to a news release.
Andrew Maciejewski/Summit Daily News

Colorado is known for having many beautiful places to camp. But, according to the State Patrol, the left lane shouldn’t be one of them.

Last year, the Colorado State Patrol pulled over 2,540 drivers who were traveling slower than the flow of traffic in the left lane, or “lane camping,” according to a news release from the law enforcement agency. That included about 960 drivers who were lane camping on Interstate 70.

“Drivers are not legally allowed to obstruct traffic lanes in Colorado, so even if you don’t like the speed of others, interfering with traffic flow is also unsafe driving behavior,” Colorado State Patrol Chief Col. Matthew Packard said in a statement.



Under Colorado law, multilane roads with a posted speed limit of 65 mph or greater designate the furthest left lane as the “passing lane,” and slower traffic must move into the right lane after completing a pass or allowing another vehicle to enter the roadway, according to State Patrol.

Driving in the left lane other than to pass is discouraged and often frustrates other motorists, sparking unsafe passing, tailgating, flashing lights and other negative behaviors, the release states.

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