Nixa Police have announced that they will soon begin a zero-tolerance policy for incorrect use of the middle lane. They say they are cracking down on it because it leads to dangerous situations and traffic crashes.
Nixa PD says they see most of the violations on Highway 14, along Nicholas Road between the high school and 14, and near Aldersgate Church.
They want to emphasize that the lane is not to be used as an on-ramp, where you speed up to traffic before merging, it’s also not to be used for cruising.
They will be issuing warnings the next few days, but after that they will be cracking down.
They posted this on their Facebook page
Nixa Police see a lot of drivers using center turn lanes incorrectly. Not only is it a violation of the law, but it is dangerous and leads to traffic crashes. Three areas where we see many of these violations are:
- Along Highway 14
- Along Nicholas Rd between Nixa High School and Hwy 14
- Along Aldersgate near Wendy’s and Walmart
We want to see less traffic accidents and fewer violations, so we want to educate the public on how to use the center turn lane properly. On Thursday April 18th, Nixa Police kicked off their educational campaign by posting a Facebook live video explaining the proper use of center turn lanes, and we will be doing more education on social media over the next few weeks.Some things to keep in mind:
- It’s called a “center TURN lane” not a “center CRUISE lane”.
- Only use the center turn lane to turn left.
- Don’t drive in the center turn lane for more than 500 ft.
- Don’t ever use the center turn lane to pass traffic.
- Don’t use the center turn lane as an on-ramp for gaining speed to merge. When turning left from a cross street, wait until all lanes are clear cross to your lane of travel.
- Using the center turn lane incorrectly leads to crashes.
The Department also posted a video to their Facebook page explaining the correct usage of the middle lane.
