A motor vehicle driver is generally required to drive on the right side of a road. However, the driver does not need to drive on the right side of the road when he or she is passing another vehicle, when he or she is making a left turn, when the right side of the road is closed to traffic, or when the road has one-way traffic.
When there are solid double parallel lines on a road, a motor vehicle driver may not cross the double parallel lines in order to pass another vehicle. When the double parallel lines are broken, the driver may pass another vehicle. However, even if the double parallel lines are solid, the driver may make a left turn across the solid lines or may make a U-turn if traffic signs permit the left turn or the U-turn.
If a highway is divided by a median or a barrier, a motor vehicle driver must drive on the right side of the median or the barrier. When a highway is a three-lane highway, the driver must generally use the far left lane only for passing another vehicle or for making a left turn.
When a motor vehicle driver is attempting to pass another vehicle, he or she must generally pass on the left side of the other vehicle. The driver may only pass on the right side of the other vehicle when the other vehicle is making a left turn or when there is a passing lane on the right side of the other vehicle. The driver must also pass the other vehicle only when it is safe to do so and when there is no oncoming traffic. The driver cannot pass the other vehicle by driving on the shoulder or on an unpaved section of a roadway.
A motor vehicle driver who is being passed by another vehicle must give way to the vehicle that is overtaking his or her vehicle and must not increase the speed of his or her vehicle until the other vehicle has passed. However, the driver is not required to drive on the shoulder in order to allow the other vehicle to pass.
A motor vehicle driver who is passing another vehicle owes a duty of care to the vehicle that he or she is passing and to the vehicles that may be approaching from the opposite direction. The driver may be held to be negligent for violating these rules, even if he or she did not complete the passing of the other vehicle. If the driver encounters an unexpected peril while he or she is attempting to pass the other vehicle, he or she must respond to the danger of the unexpected peril.
If a motor vehicle driver is traveling on a one-way street, he or she may only travel in the direction that is indicated. The driver does not need to drive on the right side of the street.
If a motor vehicle driver travels on the wrong side of a street, he or she is presumed to have not exercised his or her duty of reasonable care. However, if other drivers observe the driver on the wrong side of the street, they must exercise reasonable care in order to avoid a collision.
Copyright 2010 LexisNexis, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc.
