When should you use the highway’s left lane in Washington state? Here’s what the law says

Karlee Van De Venter
Bob Brawdy/bbrawdy@tricityherald.com

Passing someone with your car on the road seems like a simple enough task, but the laws surrounding overtaking, or passing, may be a bit more nuanced than you think. Especially when it comes to high stress situations.

Two readers wrote to the McClatchy Northwest Service Team with specific questions about overtaking laws:

  • Is driving on the inside/left lane illegal if you’re not passing?

  • Is it illegal to speed up when someone tries to pass you?

Here are the Washington laws for both questions.

WA state law on lane roles

In Washington state, drivers are instructed to stay in the right lane except to pass in most situations. On roads with three or more lanes in the same direction, the center lane is optimal if there is a lot of entering or exiting traffic.

The Revised Code of Washington states the exact scenarios in which a driver is not expected to keep right:

  • When legally passing

  • When the road is obstructed

  • When the roadway has three marked lanes, providing for applicable two-way movement

  • On a street or highway restricted to one-way traffic

  • When making room for emergency vehicles, tow trucks, highway construction or maintenance vehicles, and solid waste removal or other utility vehicle, when necessary

Additionally, drivers going faster than the traffic flow on roadways with more than two lanes in the same direction are not required to remain in the right-hand lane exclusively. But remaining in the left-hand lane for too long can be considered a traffic violation if it impedes the flow of traffic, so the center lane is recommended.

There are also exceptions for traffic flows, like allowing someone else to merge or preparing for a legal left turn.

The left-hand lane is generally meant for passing vehicles going slower than you are. The law states that drivers should pass only when safe, and return to the right-hand lane as soon as you’re clear to do so. It is generally recommended to pass only one car at a time.

What about legal lane usage in WA?

One reader asked if it’s legal to drive in the left lane when not passing. According to Washington law, sometimes.

Based on state law, the specific parameters listed above are the only scenarios in which drivers are permitted to drive in the inside lane. While it is normally used for passing, there are other situations where it is legal to drive in the left-hand lane.

Coasting in the left-hand lane is not an approved usage, and if it impedes the traffic flow, you can receive a traffic violation.

Another reader asked about speeding up while passing, if it’s legal to accelerate in the outside lane when another vehicle attempts to pass you in the inside lane. A common occurrence, it is likely this has happened to everyone before at least once. But is it illegal? Based on the state driver guide and rules of the road, it could be considered dangerous driving.

Neither the Revised Code of Washington’s Rules of the Road nor the Washington Driver Guide specifically reference this scenario, but there are other statutes regarding unspecified dangerous actions that could be applicable.

RCW 46.61.445 states that speed compliance does not mean drivers are excused from exercising further due care and caution on the road. This means that even if someone is following the speed limit, they can be found liable for lack of due care in other actions while driving.

RCW 46.61.675 states that it is unlawful for drivers to knowingly cause another driver to operate their vehicle “in any manner contrary to the law.” This means that purposely driving in a way that causes someone else to drive dangerously or illegally can be found liable. That could include preventing someone else from passing you.

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