Are you allowed to drive in any lane on the motorway regardless of the traffic situation?
Show the correct answer
Correct answer
NO
Explanation
In the video you are driving on a two-lane motorway; a deceleration lane branches off on the right, separated by an area closed to traffic. On a motorway you are not allowed to drive in any lane you like regardless of the situation on the road. The answer is: no.
The Road Traffic Act requires a driver to drive as close as possible to the right edge of the roadway and, if lanes are marked, to occupy only one lane. This rule applies on all roads, also on a motorway, where the right lane is for driving and the left lane is for overtaking; after overtaking, you return to the right lane as soon as it is free. You may stay in the left lane longer only when you are overtaking more vehicles one after another, when the right lane is occupied or closed, or when signs say otherwise. Driving in the left lane "because I am driving fast anyway" is a petty offence and one of the main causes of congestion and dangerous overtaking on the right. Drivers of lorries of categories N2 and N3 and of vehicle combinations longer than 7 m have an even stricter rule on a motorway with three or more lanes: they may use only the two right-hand lanes.
Legal basis: Art. 16 para. 2a and 4 of the Road Traffic Act (Prawo o ruchu drogowym)