Yes, You Can Pass on the Right

"Urambo Tauro" (urambotauro) 10/16/2015 at 17:30 • Filed to: traffic myths, traffic laws, misconceptions, urban legends, Passing, tips, discussion, rules of the road

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You’ve heard this one before: Never pass on the right. It’s illegal. It’s unsafe. Well, not exactly. Here’s why...

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Passing is designed to allow faster traffic to bypass slower traffic. This minimizes congestion brought about by slow-moving vehicles. Without this option, traffic flow would be decided by the slowest car.

Passing is an exception to the rule. The rule is to wait. As children we are taught the concept of waiting our turn in line. In the name of fairness, we wait in queue behind those who arrived first. But sometimes those ahead of us are slower, by necessity or by ignorance. Passing them is not always an option, but it is sometimes available as a legal & safe exception to waiting.

Always check your local laws first. I am referencing Michigan’s way of doing things, which may or may not match the laws in your area. If you are in a drive-left country, you probably pass on the right rather frequently. Use common sense and adjust as necessary.

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One Forward Lane

A two-lane road has one lane going in either direction. Passing on the right here means driving on the shoulder. Here on the shoulder you will often find compromised traction, random obstacles, or other hazards hiding in tall grass. This is where the concept of no right-side passing originates. It means no passing on the shoulder, sidewalk, lawn, or median.

The only option for passing is the oncoming lane. And even then, it is only an option in the absence of oncoming traffic. It’s not a question of “well, how else am I going to pass?” . It’s a question of “do I need to continue waiting, or is passing an option for me here?” . If lane markings, road conditions, visibility, and traffic allow, this is where the overtaking happens.

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Two Forward Lanes

On a road/highway with 2 forward lanes, things get easier. We no longer have to dodge oncoming cars to execute an overtake. In fact, it’s no longer an option. In light traffic, slower vehicles can occupy the right lane while the rest of us can momentarily use the left one to overtake them.

But every once in a while, we do encounter the odd vehicle moving under the speed limit in the left lane. Can we use the right lane to pass?

Possibly! The driver may have merged to the left to avoid some random obstruction in the right lane. But they also might be turning left soon. It’s worth checking to see if the right lane is clear for passing. If so, we are under no legal obligation to stay in the left lane, stuck behind the slow-driven vehicle. Besides, what are we !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! in the left lane in this situation anyway? We need to get back over !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .

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Three+ Forward Lanes

In Michigan, the presence of three or more forward lanes changes things even further. A roadway with this many lanes was built for handling large amounts of traffic, and you are likely to encounter a wider variety of vehicles and driving styles. Merging becomes a more frequent maneuver here, and cooperation is no less important.

Many drivers, including truckers, have a tendency to favor the middle lane. This is to avoid conflict with merging traffic at interchanges, while keeping the left lane open for passing. But what if the two left lanes slow down, and the right lane is the only clear one? Can you use it to pass?

Possibly! Again, careful judgement is required to determine if this will work. Even if it’s not obstructed ahead, drivers still might be making room for merging traffic from an on-ramp. Passing on the right is legal, but the attempt could be disadvantageous if traffic decides to merge into that lane ahead of you.

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There are many strange situations that we encounter on the road. The purpose of this post is not to address all the “what ifs”. The point is that passing on the right can be a valid maneuver, if conducted with safety and courtesy.

Again, check your local laws to verify what your options are. Some areas have unique regulations that be real game-changers. Drive your best and keep an eye on those blind spots!

Michigan Vehicle Code

MSP - Traffic Laws FAQs

Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy > Urambo Tauro 10/16/2015 at 17:37

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there is a two-lane road by me which has loads of left-lane hoggers. said people also seem to be the ignorant type.

Wacko > Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy 10/16/2015 at 17:43

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And those happen to all be camrys and f150s

dogisbadob > Urambo Tauro 10/16/2015 at 17:46

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oooo snow tires or off-road/rally tires

Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy > Wacko 10/16/2015 at 17:46

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nope. Jettas, Corollas, and Civics mostly, and there’s always the beat up Sentra. but yeah, Camrys too.

HammerheadFistpunch > Urambo Tauro 10/16/2015 at 17:50

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Looked up my laws - anything more than a 2 lane road is fine, its also illegal to block the left lane...like thats ever enforced.

Grab Paddle > Urambo Tauro 10/16/2015 at 17:52

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In NY/NJ the right lane is the fast lane. People have been psychologically trained to immediately merge as far left as possible, even if the space open includes a large SUV going 80 mph, 200 yards behind you while you maintain your safe highway merge speed of 38 mph.

Driving in Europe is like the finest steak tartar, you slice through it like Bruce Lee on a rocket.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > Urambo Tauro 10/16/2015 at 17:53

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“In Michigan, the presence of three or more forward lanes changes things even further.”

And then there’s highway 401 in Ontario... the busiest highway in North America. It is 18 lanes wide in some sections. There WILL be some passing on the right.

Moves-Like-Senna > Urambo Tauro 10/16/2015 at 17:54

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I dealt with this last weekend driving back to town for 8 hours. A land rover, myself (Charger), an M3, 2 2014/13 mustangs and a Camaro were playing lane tag.

We’re all going above the posted limit, assume it’s 61 mph instead of 60mph, though allegedly higher. We didn’t know each other but we were all travelling at a higher rate of speed.

We’d rotate order around and it was almost like zig zagging through traffic with the amount of left lane hogs. Lead car usually flashed lights and gave them ample time (minimum 2 minutes to move) before passing. Only half the time did the left lane hog move over to the right after being passed by 6 cars.

It led to a fun little meetup at a gas station afterwards. We all just sort of took the same exit and metup without knowing eachother haha.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > Urambo Tauro 10/16/2015 at 18:00

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Yeah he’s probably getting passed a lot .

Scott > Urambo Tauro 10/16/2015 at 18:04

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Maybe it’s having gone through German driver training. But I could not disagree more with the third one. It may be legal, but it is anything but safe. The right lane is where cars merge into traffic. If the slowest and the fastest cars are all using the right hand lane that is an accident waiting to happen. If everyone follows the stay right EXCEPT to pass rule it keeps road rage to a minimum which makes driving safer and less risky. It keeps the fastest moving traffic isolated from the slowest moving traffic.

It’s when you suddenly have people deciding that they can drive any speed in any lane that chaos ensues and accidents happen. By passing on either the right or the left it means people are doing far more lane changes than they would if they all passed on the right. Lane changes are more dangerous than staying in your lane, although they are necessary. By increasing the number of lane changes and making them a mix different speeds in different direction (left or right) it makes lane changes even more dangerous.

In Germany at interchanges (between to autobahns not every off ramp)most the time there is a dedicated lane for traffic exiting or entering the Autobahn, this further isolates the slowing, and accelerating traffic from the fastest steadier moving traffic with a physical barrier. In the US it is rare that we have dividers for traffic entering and exiting the highway so slowing down for the off ramp or finishing getting up to speed often happens in in the right lane. Someone zipping through traffic may assume that car going slow is going close to the speed limit and may not realize until it is to late that the car is in fact going well bellow the speed limit.

marshknute > Urambo Tauro 10/16/2015 at 18:42

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I honestly don’t care what he local law is. If your slow ass is holding up the line, I’m passing you in whichever lane opens up first.

If there was room to pass on the right, there was room for him to move over in the first place.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Urambo Tauro 10/16/2015 at 19:43

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When I’m driving at night, I stay in the far right lane and rarely have to leave it. I’m usually passing. Per my state laws, passing on the right isn’t illegal. Changing speed or direction to pass on the right is, so if I’m sitting in the right hand lane with cruise control on, I’m clear. It also seems safer since usually there’s at least one lane between me and the person without lane etiquette.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > dogisbadob 10/16/2015 at 19:45

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Snow tires are the cheap go-to for rallyX.

desertdog5051 > Urambo Tauro 10/16/2015 at 22:56

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Tell that to Kyle.

A friend of mine once got a ticket for passing on the right when he hit the shoulder to avoid a moron who decided at the last minute to make a left and slammed on the brakes. He clipped a mailbox and the cops gave him the ticket.

knowonelse > Urambo Tauro 11/11/2015 at 01:30

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I rode a Honda 90 from Sacramento to Lake Tahoe shortly after Cal Trans identified the bicycling route a long time ago. A Honda 90 isn’t powerful enough to be allowed on the freeway proper. On the part of the route that was on Interstate 80 I had to ride on the shoulder. I passed an old slow truck loaded with firewood on the shoulder. I was pulled over by the CHP for passing on the right. I informed the officer that I was riding a vehicle that wasn’t legal on the freeway and only on the shoulder. He wasn’t pleased. I saw him at the next exit where I told him that he would not find a sign prohibiting me from being where I was. I saw him at the intersection looking for the sign, and not finding it, he burned rubber in frustration in not being able to cite me.

and 100 more > Urambo Tauro 12/03/2015 at 15:48

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I find that driving in the city and driving on open interstate are two completely different beasts, and the “left lane is fast lane” rule goes out the fucking window in rush-hour traffic thru the city. I’m okay with this, it makes sense to me.

In this instance, passing on the right also makes sense.

Rupert Palatipelen > HammerheadFistpunch 09/12/2019 at 21:28

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I see those type of signs a catch 22, if you are going the spped limit then there should be no call for people to pass you, even lees a reason if you are going 10 over. But is Urambo saying there is more to passing than finding the lowest gear south of the redline and flooring it?