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After one of the “Discussions with Krasnov,” we received dissatisfied responses from several readers. It would seem that there are traffic rules, everyone studied them to pass the driving test, so there can be no discrepancies. But in reality, people interpret some of the wording in the rules differently. This means that they behave differently on the road, being confident that they are driving correctly.
We will talk about when you can and when you cannot take the far left lane. This is how it is formulated in the Traffic Regulations:
79. when driving, you can change lanes to another lane only before overtaking, passing, going around an obstacle, turning left or right, making a U-turn, or stopping. In this case:
79.1. outside populated areas, it is prohibited to occupy the left traffic lanes when the right lanes are free;
79.2. when there are three or more traffic lanes in a given direction, it is permitted to occupy the far left traffic lane only when other traffic lanes are occupied, or to overtake, go around an obstacle, turn left or make a U-turn, as well as to stop, park on the left side of a one-way road in the case specified in subparagraph 138.3 of paragraph 138 of these Rules.
With the countryside, everything is clear, paragraph 79.1 of the Traffic Regulations is formulated quite clearly: you need to move in the right lane, and you can change lanes to the left only if necessary.
But here is the paragraph 79.2 – how do you understand it? Does it apply to driving in populated areas, or does it complement the previous wording and also apply to situations on suburban roads?
Do you think everything is clear-cut? Then let’s return to the complaints we’ve received from some readers. They boil down to the fact that the Moscow Ring Road (MKAD) is an urban road, located within the city limits of Minsk. No one disputes this. But are drivers on the MKAD obligated to comply with 79.2 and not occupy the far left lane when nothing prevents them from driving to the right, in the far right, or in the middle lane? Some people think that they are not obliged to.
So, does clause 79.2 of the traffic rules apply to driving in populated areas? We contacted the State Traffic Inspectorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Belarus for a competent answer and will publish a comment as soon as we receive it.
In the meantime, we would like to hear the opinions of our readers.
