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DGT clamping down on ‘left-lane syndrome’ drivers with new fines

By Chris King • Published: 04 Sep 2021 • 5:21

DGT clamping down on 'left-lane syndrome' drivers with new fines

DGT clamping down on 'left-lane syndrome' drivers with new fines. image: wikimedia

DRIVERS who continually drive in the middle or outside lanes when the inside lane is empty can now expect a fine from the DGT as they clamp down on ‘left-lane syndrome’ drivers

One of the most common, and irritating, offences on Spanish motorways and dual carriageways, is drivers constantly using the middle or left lane, when the inside lane is empty, a practice that the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) calls ‘left lane syndrome’ and a habit that many drivers surely carry out in a subconscious fashion.

The Law on Traffic, Circulation of Motor Vehicles, and Road Safety is very clear about this situation, as stated in Article 15, “As a general rule, and especially in curves and changes in elevation with reduced visibility, the vehicle should always circulate on all the roads covered by this law to the right, and as close as possible to the edge of the road, maintaining sufficient lateral separation to make the crossing safely”.

That said, when driving on roads with several lanes in each direction, it is mandatory to always travel in the right-hand lane if you do not want to overtake, since the rest of the lanes on your left are only for overtaking, taking an exit on that side, or for use during a period of encountering heavy traffic.

Despite the fact that the DGT always had the right to fine road users who drove in the central and left lanes while the right was free, the truth is that it has not usually been a highly sanctioned infraction, but this has changed, as Traffic has begun to impose the first fines on drivers who habitually use the left lane, hindering other drivers, and causing different dangerous situations on Spanish motorways and dual carriageways.

As proof of this, the Twitter profile SocialDriver posted online one of the sanctions that the DGT has imposed on a driver this summer for, “driving out of town in a lane other than the one located further to the right, on a road with more than one lane for the same direction of travel, without the existence of traffic or road circumstances that make it advisable”.

As seen in the image below, the amount of the fine is €80, but without the withdrawal of points from your licence.

Finally, the DGT asks drivers to remember that you cannot pass a vehicle while traveling on the right of them, when they are travelling slower on your left, as this practice is considered serious, and is punishable by a fine of up to €200, and the withdrawal of four points from the driving license, as reported by elperiodico.com.

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Written by

Chris King

Originally from Wales, Chris spent years on the Costa del Sol before moving to the Algarve where he is a web reporter for The Euro Weekly News covering international and Spanish national news. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com

Comments

    • David

      04 September 2021 • 19:44

      The root cause of why people sometimes overtake on the inside is because some idiot is stuck in the middle lane and refuses to move over. This is a regular occurrence. It is wrong that the fine for this is far greater than for the person causing the problem in the first place by selfishly and ignorantly hogging the middle lane.

      You would also think that seeing people undertake them might get it into their thick heads that they should be driving on the inside lane. But no, convinced of their own righteousness they always continue to force everyone into the outer lane to get past them. Forgive the pun, but it drives me mad. So glad that at last the police are going to do something about it, as it is dangerous and can also cause congestion.

    • David

      04 September 2021 • 19:44

      The root cause of why people sometimes overtake on the inside is because some idiot is stuck in the middle lane and refuses to move over. This is a regular occurrence. It is wrong that the fine for this is far greater than for the person causing the problem in the first place by selfishly and ignorantly hogging the middle lane.

      You would also think that seeing people undertake them might get it into their thick heads that they should be driving on the inside lane. But no, convinced of their own righteousness they always continue to force everyone into the outer lane to get past them. Forgive the pun, but it drives me mad. So glad that at last the police are going to do something about it, as it is dangerous and can also cause congestion.

    • Joseph King

      06 September 2021 • 14:42

      So let get this right, if im in the right hand land, and i come across someone driving in the middle lane, i have to change to the middle, then the outside lane to go around them, then back into the middle and then into the right hand lane again. Forcing me to make multiple lane changes, while the idiot in the wrong lane just stays where they are. And when you’ve got multiple idiots in the middle and outside lanes, what do you do? And how many people have come across someone driving in the outside lane and refuses to pull over into the correct lane, on a 2 lane road?

    • Joseph King

      06 September 2021 • 14:42

      So let get this right, if im in the right hand land, and i come across someone driving in the middle lane, i have to change to the middle, then the outside lane to go around them, then back into the middle and then into the right hand lane again. Forcing me to make multiple lane changes, while the idiot in the wrong lane just stays where they are. And when you’ve got multiple idiots in the middle and outside lanes, what do you do? And how many people have come across someone driving in the outside lane and refuses to pull over into the correct lane, on a 2 lane road?

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