NEW HAVEN, CT — Connecticut's stricter left-lane law took effect Thursday, Oct. 1, and drivers who linger in the passing lane on the state's multi-lane limited-access highways now risk an $88 fine, the state Department of Transportation says.
Under the law, the left lane is for passing. Drivers may use it to overtake slower traffic, to get ready for a left-hand exit or to go around an obstruction; otherwise they belong in the right or middle lanes, according to CTDOT. The department also tells drivers to move left when needed to let traffic merge, then return right once it is safe.
What Changed Oct. 1 for New Haven-Area Drivers
Connecticut law already told drivers to keep right. Public Act 25-65, passed in the 2025 legislative session, spelled out that the rule covers every limited-access highway with multiple lanes, and its strengthened enforcement began Oct. 1, CTDOT said.
State Sen. Christine Cohen, a Guilford Democrat who sponsored the bill, told Connecticut Public in July 2025 that the old law was too vague. "It says we shall drive in the right-hand lane, but doesn't say anything specifically about left lane camping," she said.
Driving Fast Is No Excuse in the Left Lane
Going faster than the speed limit does not make left-lane cruising legal, Cohen said; a driver who stays in the lane too long without passing can still be ticketed. The law sets no distance or time limit for how long a driver may stay left.
"This is discretionary and law enforcement will be trained accordingly," Cohen said. "There would have to be a clear violation and infraction." She also said the rule would not apply to two-lane highways.