Is it unlawful to all the time drive within the right-hand lane?

For those who’ve pushed on a highway in Australia, you’ll know that one of the vital disobeyed guidelines of the highway is the basic “hold left except overtaking”.

• Hold left, except you’re overtaking – the signal says all of it!
• Proper-lane hogs will be fined
• Penalties range between states and territories

It means what it says. For those who’re driving on a highway with multiple lane, it’s best to hold left except you’re overtaking. However there are variations in the way in which the rule is applied and interpreted throughout the nation.

Usually talking, for those who’re driving on a multi-lane highway with a pace restrict of lower than 80km/h (consider these inner-city arterials that all the time appear to be crawling at crabs’ tempo), you possibly can drive in no matter lane you need.

But when the highway is a motorway, freeway or freeway with a better pace restrict, it’s finest to not populate the correct lane completely, as you can face fines and demerit factors for those who’re not overtaking different highway customers.

Right here’s a rundown of the principles throughout the nation:

New South Wales

In NSW, for those who’re driving on a highway that has a sign-posted pace restrict above 80km/h (so, in 90km/h zones, or roads with pace limits greater than that) it’s important to hold left except you’re overtaking somebody.

That’s the overall rule, however there are some exceptions:

NSW highway guidelines state: “You could not drive in the correct lane, except you’re overtaking, turning proper, making a U-turn, not turning left and there’s a ‘Left lane should flip left’ signal or site visitors lights with a left arrow sign, avoiding an obstruction, driving in site visitors that’s stopped or travelling slowly within the left lane, driving a bus or a truck and the correct lane is for buses or vehicles solely, overtaking a sluggish car making a left flip.”

Conditions the place you have to overtake utilizing the left lane embody when the car you’re overtaking is: “ready to show proper or make a U-turn from the centre of the highway; stopped; travelling on a multi-lane highway”.

In some cases you’re allowed to make use of the left lane if there’s stopped site visitors in the correct lane, and also you’re allowed to: cross the periphery strains (for a most 100m), drive in a bus lane, transit lane or truck lane (for a most 100m), or drive in a bicycle lane or tram lane (for a most 50m).

Get caught doing the incorrect factor and the high quality is $349 and two demerit factors.

Queensland

In QLD, the principles are clear. “On single-lane roads, you have to keep as shut as sensible to the left facet of the highway.”

But when the highway has a number of lanes and if the pace restrict is 90km/h or above, or if the roadway has signage stating ‘Hold Left Until Overtaking’, then you have to not use the correct lane except you’re: overtaking; turning proper; making a U-turn; avoiding an obstruction; driving in congested site visitors; or utilizing a particular goal lane that you’re allowed to be in.

And in information that may upset anybody who believes in correct lane etiquette (right here’s you, Germany) it’s authorized for drivers to “overtake on the left on all multi-lane roads”. 

You’ll be able to nonetheless be fined for sticking in the correct lane for those who’re not doing any of the above-mentioned actions. The penalty is a $123 high quality and two demerit factors.

Victoria

The principles for Victoria state that drivers on “any multi-lane highway with a pace restrict over 80km/h… should hold out of the correct lane”.

However as with the opposite states, there are some exceptions, similar to if you’re overtaking or turning proper, or all lanes are congested. Additional, “if the correct lane is a transit lane, this rule applies to the lane instantly to the left of the transit lane”.

Notice the wording of the rule, although. For those who learn between the strains (or ought to that be lanes?) it primarily means the far-right lane is off limits except overtaking.

For those who’re on one of many six-lane freeways, the rule means you should use lanes one by way of 5 as you want. 

Get caught being naughty, and you can be up for 2 demerits and some hundred bucks in fines.

South Australia

The SA police desire for those who hold to the “far left facet of the highway” in multi-lane conditions, lest you face a $355 high quality and two demerits. 

One factor that’s completely different about SA is that roads with pace limits at 80km/h or extra don’t have to have “hold left” signage current.

It’s understood, if the pace restrict is excessive and there’s multiple lane accessible to be pushed in, that highway customers ought to hold within the far-left lane and reserve the correct lanes for overtaking solely. 

Western Australia

The massive state has fairly related guidelines to the remainder of the nation. If the pace restrict is 90km/h or extra, you have to hold left. Beneath 90km/h, you solely want to take action if there’s signage stating as a lot. 

As with different states, you’re allowed to ignore the hold left indicators for those who’re overtaking, making a U-turn, avoiding an obstruction, if the left lane is a turning lane and also you’re not turning, or if the left lane is a particular use lane (bus, sluggish car turnout lane and so on). 

Additional, if different lanes are congested with site visitors, you possibly can stick in the correct. 

The high quality is teeny, at $50, but it surely nonetheless has two demerit factors hooked up to it. 

Northern Territory 

Within the NT the principles state that if the highway has multiple lane and a pace restrict of greater than 80km/h, or it has a ‘hold left except overtaking’ signal, then you have to hold to the left facet of the highway.

And in a pleasant contact, NT additionally reminds highway customers that, when they’re being overtaken, they need to not enhance their pace, should additionally hold left and permit sufficient house for the overtaking car, and likewise keep inside their lane.

No demerit factors or fines for this doing the incorrect factor, and get this: Northern Territory doesn’t do double demerits, both!

ACT

Within the Australian Capital Territory – aka, the land of the roundabout – for those who drive in the correct lane and also you’re not overtaking (and the highway’s pace restrict is over 80km/h) you can be fined $316 and smacked with two demerit factors.

Tasmania

The expectation is that, in Tassie, if the pace restrict is above 80km/h, it’s best to hold to the left except you’re overtaking – whether or not there are indicators to state it, or not.

Failure to comply with the rule may end in a $146.25 high quality, and two demerit factors.

And since cyclists are highway customers, too, for those who’re driving your bike in the correct lane on a highway with ‘hold left’ indicators, you can face a $130 high quality. 

Not supposed as authorized recommendation. Test with the related roads authority in your state or territory.