When you are driving on a two-lane freeway, which lane should you choose?
The left lane unless you are overtaking.
Whichever lane has the least traffic.
The right lane to avoid slow-moving vehicles.
Unless you are overtaking another vehicle you should drive in the left hand lane to ensure the best traffic flow.
Lane choice on a freeway
The usual driving lane is the left-hand lane on a freeway, motorway or dual carriageway so that faster vehicles can overtake you if they want to. There are situations, though, where you may move into the right-hand lane:
- You are overtaking other vehicles
- The left-hand lane is closed due to road works or an accident
- Traffic in both lanes is moving at the same speed, e.g. in rush hour
- You are approaching an on-ramp where a lot of traffic is merging and it's safer to temporarily move into the right lane to allow them to merge (in which case you will be overtaking them).
Before you move into the right-hand lane remember to check your mirrors, indicate, check your blind spot, then manoeuvre.
To ensure the best traffic flow, only use the right hand lane and middle lane for overtaking. Hogging the right hand lane causes frustration for other drivers