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I hear people call the left lane the passing lane, but is it really only for passing? There’s a B.C. law that says you’re supposed to move into the right lane if there’s a faster car coming from behind. But does that mean I can only use the left lane when I’m passing someone – or can I stay in it as long as nobody is behind me? - Mike, Kelowna, B.C.
In British Columbia, if you linger in the left lane when nobody’s behind you, you’ll usually get a pass, police said.
“If there is no traffic at all, then any lane may be used,” Corporal Michael McLaughlin, a spokesman for B.C. Highway Patrol, said in an email. “[But if you are] impeding traffic, move to the safest right-most driving lane whenever it is safe and legal to do so.”
The law in B.C. doesn’t specifically say that the left-most lane on a highway is reserved for passing.
But it does say that you “must exit” that lane if there’s another vehicle coming up from behind in it.
The rule only applies on highways with two or more lanes in one direction and speed limits of 80 kilometres an hour or higher. There are exceptions, including if you’re passing vehicles on the right or if you’re about to turn left.
It’s a $167 fine and three demerit points. Last year, there were 106 charges for the offence. To put that in perspective, police issued more than 193,000 speeding tickets in B.C. last year.
But even though you’re supposed to get out of that lane for cars coming up from behind, other laws, including the speed limit and requirements to keep a safe distance from the car ahead of you, still apply.
The rules vary by province. Most, including Alberta and Ontario, require slower traffic to keep to the right on the highway, but don’t reserve the left lane for passing.
In Nova Scotia, the law states that a vehicle “shall normally be driven in the lane nearest the right-hand edge or curb of the highway when such lane is available for travel.”
But in Quebec, the left lane is supposed to be the passing lane. The law bans driving in it on highways with limits of more than 80 kilometres an hour unless you’re passing or turning left.
The right idea?
Even though the left lane isn’t just for passing in B.C., it’s a good idea to treat it that way, even when there aren’t cars coming from behind you, McLaughlin said.
“Get in the habit of using the right [and centre] lanes as driving lanes and the left-most lane as a passing lane,” he said.
So, move into the left lane to pass, but check first to make sure there aren’t faster cars farther back in that lane.
“Even if someone is excessively speeding, it’s safer to let them pass,” McLaughlin said.
When you’ve passed the car to the right, move back as soon as it’s safe.
That’s good advice everywhere, said Tim Danter, an Oakville, Ont.-based driving expert.
“You’ve got stubborn people with their cruise control set [in the left lane],” he said. “That’s where you get the aggressive tailgater.”
But what if there are more than two lanes?
While it’s a good idea to stay to the right when you can, the centre lane might make more sense if there are cars merging onto the highway in the right-most lane.
“When there are four or five lanes, pick the lane that’s going to take you straight through,” Danter said. “And not the farthest one to the left.”
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.