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What are the rules about driving in the centre lane on multi-lane highways? Too many drivers stick to the centre for long stretches – even if the right lane is empty – and will not move over until their exit. That means commercial trucks end up having to pass them on the right. As a commercial truck driver (for 40-plus years), it’s a huge problem. – Ron, Jasper, Ont.
Sticking to the centre lane might seem like a happy medium, but if you’re being passed on the right, it’s time to move over, experts say.
“The centre lane isn’t a cruising lane. It’s a working lane,” said Angelo DiCicco, chief executive officer of the Ontario Safety League, a non-profit focusing on driver education. “Sometimes it’s the safest place to be and sometimes it’s time to move back to the right.”
In Ontario, the law doesn’t specify which lane you should be driving in, but it does say that slower traffic should keep as far to the right “as practicable.”
“There’s no law against being in the middle lane,” said Sean Shapiro, a road safety expert and former Toronto traffic cop.
The law states drivers should move to the right if they’re going “less than the normal speed of traffic at that time and place.”
So what’s the normal speed of traffic? Does that mean you could get a ticket for not moving over if you’re going at – or above – the speed limit and traffic around you is going faster?
We asked Ontario’s Ministry of Transportation. In an email, a spokesperson said the MTO “does not provide legal advice or interpretations.”
It did not respond to a request for the number of tickets issued for the offence last year.
“I can’t see a cop who’s ever going to give you a [ticket for not moving to the right] for doing the speed limit in the middle lane,” Shapiro said.
Rules vary by province, but we couldn’t find any that specifically mention when you can drive in the centre lane.
Most say slower traffic should keep to the right.
Quebec is the only province where the law treats the leftmost lane as a true passing lane. On highways with speed limits of 80 kilometres an hour or higher, drivers can’t be in the left lane unless they’re passing or turning left.
We asked Sûreté du Québec, the provincial police force, whether that means you should stay out of the centre lane unless you’re passing on your right and didn’t get an immediate answer.
A webpage from Quebec’s transportation ministry states you can drive in “one of the right-hand lanes” when there are three or more lanes.
Middle management?
So when should you be driving in the centre lane?
It can be a good idea to move to the centre when there are cars trying to merge into the rightmost lane from an on-ramp, DiCicco said.
“That’s an example of courteous, cooperative driving,” he said. “Staying there long after the merging area has passed may unnecessarily disrupt the flow of traffic.”
Or, move to the centre if you’re passing a slower vehicle in the rightmost lane, he said.
But if you decide to stay in the centre lane for a while, you should be regularly checking your mirrors and paying attention to the traffic around you, DiCicco said.
“If you camp in one lane and maybe set your adaptive cruise control or just stay behind a vehicle in front of you, that is a strategy that works quite often,” he said. “But if you notice that you’re being passed on the right or if you’re being tailgated, then, yes, you need to reassess which lane you’re in.“
So, for example, if you’re going the speed limit – or even above it – and the cars on both sides are going significantly faster, it’s a good idea to get into the rightmost lane.
If you’re going well below the limit – for example, if you’re driving 80 kilometres an hour because you’ve got a mattress tied to the top of your SUV – you should generally stick to the rightmost lane when you can, DiCicco said.
Keep on trucking?
Also, remember that commercial truckers might need that centre lane more than you do, DiCicco said.
“They don’t have the same ability to accelerate and decelerate quickly and require more space and time for manoeuvring,” he said. “They typically won’t stay in the rightmost lane because there’s constantly traffic merging on and off the highway there.”
Also, on some sections of Ontario highways, there are signs banning trucks longer than 6.5 metres from driving in the leftmost lane.
Plus, most big trucks in Ontario are electronically limited to a maximum speed of 105 kilometres an hour. Even where they are allowed in that leftmost lane, they’re usually a lot slower than most vehicles in it.
So, if you’re “hanging out” in the centre lane, trucks may have to pass you on the right, DiCicco said.
And if traffic in that right lane is going the same speed you are, that truck might not be able to pass at all.
“Commercial vehicles have schedules and time constraints – sometimes they need to pass you,” he said. “Drivers of smaller vehicles don’t always appreciate that.”
Have a driving question? Send it to globedrive@globeandmail.com and put ‘Driving Concerns’ in your subject line. E-mails without the correct subject line may not be answered. Canada’s a big place, so let us know where you are so we can find the answer for your city and province.