Overtaking on the right side of Ontario? The law actually allows you to change lanes if you are driving slowly on the left lane!
Drivers have been taught in driving schools to overtake from the left lane, and you naturally assume that overtaking from the right lane is illegal. However, the answer may overturn your perception: it is indeed illegal in Quebec, but not necessarily in other parts of Canada.
Toronto driver Alex said, 'I moved to Ontario two years ago.'. When I drive on the multi lane highway here, I usually exceed the speed limit by about 15 kilometers. When I am on the left lane, there are often cars overtaking on the right lane. I think this is very worrying because as far as I know, the right lane should be used for slower vehicles. Is it legal to overtake on the right side here?
The police said: In Ontario, drivers have the right to overtake from the right side - and when they do so, it may indicate that you are in the wrong lane.
Ontario Highway Safety Department spokesperson Scott Stratton said: As long as you can safely overtake, it is not illegal to overtake from the right side. If you are on the left lane and someone is overtaking, it means you are not driving at the normal speed on the highway - you should move to the right lane
Stratton said that in Ontario, it is generally legal to use the right lane to overtake vehicles on the left as long as it is safe.
Stratton said that the law also requires vehicles traveling at speeds lower than normal traffic to move to the right. He stated that this regulation applies even if other drivers are speeding.
So, if the speed limit is 100 kilometers per hour and you are driving at a speed of 115 kilometers per hour in the left lane, if a faster vehicle approaches from behind, you should move to the right lane.
He said, 'If you're on the left lane and someone is overtaking from the right, you really should consider moving to the right lane and letting these cars overtake.'. Because I hope there will be police ahead to stop their speeding behavior
Image source: OPP
Stratton said: Although some drivers are driving at a speed limit or slightly higher on the left lane, slowing down the speed of the speeding individual is not their responsibility.
Stratton said, one day I stopped a person driving on the left lane at a speed of 100 kilometers per hour, and a car overtook him from the right side and honked its horn, pointing towards him. The driver said, 'I am working as a police officer to prevent people from speeding.'. Stratton said, but he hindered me from doing my job of catching speeding drivers and giving them the tickets they deserve.
Stratton said that driving too slowly on the left lane may lead to road rage.
Although the rules for overtaking on the right lane vary from province to province, most provinces allow it.
But in Quebec, overtaking from the right is prohibited unless you are overtaking a left turning vehicle.
Quebec provincial police officer S û ret é du Qu é bec stated that Quebec is also the only province where the left lane is only used for overtaking - you should return to the right lane after overtaking.
Safe overtaking?
Even if there is no legal requirement, driving in the right lane and only using the left lane for overtaking is usually a good idea, "said Angelo DiCicco, General Manager of the Ontario Safety League. The Ontario Safety League is a non-profit organization based in Mississauga that focuses on driver education.
DiCicco said, 'This is called lane discipline.'. However, in Ontario, it seems that everyone likes the left lane
Usually, drivers do not intentionally block the left lane - they may not be aware that faster vehicles are trying to overtake.
DiCicco said that if you are on the leftmost lane and have engaged cruise control, you may not have noticed. If you set the speed and forget it, and drive like this for a long time, you will be in the wrong lane. You need to drive on the right lane. So, whenever you're in the left lane, check your rearview mirror. If a vehicle approaches from behind, safely enter the right lane as soon as possible.
OPP's Stratton said that if you overtake a vehicle on the left lane on the right lane, especially if the vehicle on the left lane is blocked, be aware that they may not have anticipated you overtaking.
You need to overtake them at a speed that can safely stop, if someone suddenly jumps into the lane in front of you. Even the speed limit can sometimes be too fast, and if you hit them, you won't be responsible because they made an unsafe lane change... But personally, I would rather avoid the collision by slowing down.
Source link:
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/drive/culture/article-i-keep-getting-passed-on-the-right-is-that-legal/