Another vehicle driving at snail’s speed in the left lane, while the right lane is free. Lighthouse call, nothing helps. Alright, let’s go to the right! Misfortune ! You are committing an offence: the penalty is 135 euros and a withdrawal of three points on the driving license. In some cases, the latter can go up to 750 euros! Traffic on motorways and expressways is sometimes complicated, even if fluid. You can lose patience and especially a lot of points. However, you were told that it was still possible to overtake on the right. Here are some elements to lift the veil on this dangerous contradiction and to take stock of a passage of the highway code that few know.
The driver feels safer in the far left lane; he can take advantage of being first, thinks he won’t be overtaken by anyone. In short, he abuses… and above all ignores the rules of the road. The latter is clear: he must fall back on the right lane when it is free and as quickly as possible. The left lane is used to overtake the slowest vehicles, such as heavy goods vehicles or public transport, which are precisely excluded from this left lane. By overtaking on the right, you risk a fine of 135 euros as well as a withdrawal of 3 points. If your capital of points is precisely three… The remedial course and all the other costs are then added.
So you can never overtake on the right?
Even less by using the hard shoulder: the penalty will be the same: €135 and three points less on your license. Admittedly, we took the insurance, the driving license and his initial training are a bit far. However, it is only a license, and with points moreover, it is better to read some reminders, such as “never overtake on the right”. Remember last year’s crossovers, the gendarmes were on the go, not only on the asphalt with the bikers, but also in the air with a helicopter in support. It is precisely the overruns that they were monitoring. Rest assured that they will take care of it and you too if you break the rules.
Driving on the road – Source: spm
When can you overtake on the right?
French particularity or not, “the exception confirms the rule”, cannot be understood in this way in terms of the highway code. It is designed to establish rules between the different road users, and not to annoy them, especially since these constraints save lives every day.
Two cases can be found where an automobile is likely to pass another road user on the right.
One is natural, so to speak. A vehicle has indicated that it wants to turn left, he is now in a reserved lane for that. The fire does not give it priority, it waits; yours is green: you can pass, overtake it on the right. The same goes for the release lanes, or the materialized lanes provided with the markings on the ground: continuous white band with or without indication of direction. Is this an overshoot?
The other is related to the return of old types of public transport to exclusive lanes (like electric buses, or like the tram on the railway). Sometimes the lane is not elevated, and can be considered a carriageway traffic lane. You can pass this public transport vehicle on the right, provided that it is in circulation and not stopping to drop off passengers. We really need to be extra vigilant and think about protecting the most vulnerable road users: pedestrians. A shock even at 15 km/h would have dramatic or even fatal consequences.
Vehicle overtaking – Source: spm
You have discovered that being tempted to overtake on the right is forbidden. Doing so is tantamount to committing an offence, being fined and deducting points. In isolated cases, however, it is possible to overtake on the right; you now know them and know how to act.
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Via SPM
