This petition seeks to organize support for the enforcement of lane discipline on highways in the state of Michigan. A recent paper presented by Reinhard Clever, Ph.D., to the 50th Annual Transportation Research Forum in Portland, Oregon, asserted that fatality rates on U.S. highways are much more sensitive to speed limit changes than those rates on the German Autobahn. Clever attributed much of this disparity to the differences in attitudes about lane discipline in the two countries (link at right). In short, higher speeds only kill when drivers do not restrict their passing to the left lane. Michigan has a law on the books to penalize drivers who do not follow lane discipline (Section 634 of the Michigan Vehicle Code [MCL 257.634]), but it is not often enforced (Dion & Liang, 2007, link at right). The undersigned feel that enforcement of this regulation by the Michigan State Police, along with local police departments, would make Michigan roads safer, more orderly and more efficient. We strongly urge law enforcement officials throughout the state to make this a higher priority, which would enable Michigan to become one of the most progressive states in the union in this regard, and a model for other states to follow.

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