A Maryland woman ticketed for driving too slowly in the left lane on Interstate 95 said Wednesday that Maryland State Police told her they dismissed the ticket because it doesn't apply to her, News4's Darcy Spencer reported.
The woman, who didn't want her name used, said she was pulled over in Laurel Friday and cited for failing to move right.
According to the citation, she had been driving 63 mph in the left hand lane in a 65 mph zone. The citation read, "Failure of driver, driving below speed limit, 63 in a 65, to keep right."
The driver filed a complaint with Maryland State Police the day she got the ticket and received a call from the barracks commander Wednesday telling her he spoke with the trooper who gave her the ticket and the ticket was being dismissed because she was cited under the wrong statute, Spencer reported. The citation applies to drivers going at least 10 mph under the speed limit, not 2 mph.
The dismissal spares the woman taking a day off work to fight the ticket in court.
"You can drive in the left lane in Maryland as long as you are doing the speed limit, or not impeding by going 10 mph under the speed limit," retired state trooper Sgt. Rob Moroney told Spencer Tuesday.
Moroney said a different part of the law deals with drivers who impede traffic.
"This charge was not totally incorrect, but it may not have been the best charge for the trooper to use," Moroney said.
The woman said she had to slow down Friday due to heavy winds.
"Sometimes when it's dangerous, you have to do what you can to stay safe," she said.
Storm Team 4 Meteorologist Doug Kammerer said winds were gusting about 40 mph that day.
A spokesperson for AAA Mid-Atlantic said he disapproved of the citation.
"The reason [the ticket] is silly is because it's sending the wrong message," said AAA's John Townsend. "And that is, 'We will tolerate you driving at more than the speed limit, but it you drive below the speed limit, then you're penalized for that'.
