146Driving within a single marked lane or line of traffic

146 Driving within a single marked lane or line of traffic

(1) A driver on a multi-lane road must drive so the driver's vehicle is completely in a marked lane, unless the driver is—

(a) entering a part of the road of one kind
from a part of the road of another kind (for example, moving to or from a service road or a shoulder of the road); or

(b) entering or leaving the road; or

(c) moving from one marked lane to another marked lane; or

(d) avoiding an obstruction; or

(e) obeying a traffic control device applying to the marked lane; or

(f) permitted to drive in more than one marked lane under another provision of these Rules.

Notes to rule 146(1) substituted by S.R. No. 35/2021 rule 10(1).

1 Driver's vehicle, marked lane, multi-lane road, obstruction, service road and traffic control device are defined in the dictionary. Shoulder is defined in rule 12.

Note 2 to rule 146(1) amended by S.R. No. 135/2021 rule 52.

2 A driver is permitted to drive on a multi-lane road so that the driver's vehicle is not completely in a marked lane to pass a bicycle or an electric scooter—see rule 144A(2).

3 A driver is generally not permitted to move from one marked lane to another marked lane across a continuous line separating the lanes—see rule 147.

4 Rule 148 deals with giving way when moving from one marked lane to another marked lane.

5 An overhead lane control device may require a driver to leave a marked lane—see rule 152.

6 Drivers of certain long vehicles are permitted to use 2 marked lanes when turning at an intersection—see rule 28 (left turns) and rule 32 (right turns).

(2) A driver on a road with 2 or more lines of traffic travelling in the same direction as the driver, but without marked lanes, must drive so the driver's vehicle is completely in a single line of traffic unless—

(a) it is not practicable to drive completely in a single line of traffic; or

(b) the driver is entering a part of the road of one kind from a part of the road of another kind (for example, moving to or from a service road, a shoulder of the road or an emergency stopping lane); or

(c) the driver is entering or leaving the road; or

(d) the driver is moving from one line of traffic to another line of traffic; or