The yellow line is something we see frequently on major motorways here in South Africa, and we use them in various ways, but what are the rules regarding this particular lane? Our friends over at MasterDrive have the answers and have debunked the whole regulation for us:
The Trucks
It is believed by many motorists that trucks and slower drivers are obligated to more over the yellow line in order to give way to overtaking motorists but this isn’t the case. In actual fact this is actually a courtesy conducted by truckers, as the yellow lane is only for emergency breakdowns or medical emergencies or when you need to rush to the hospital. Because of this, trucks should never remain in the yellow lane as this is forbidden.
Using the yellow lane to pass
This is a pretty obvious one. Motorists may not use the yellow lane to pass slower drivers as overtaking should always be performed in the right lane. Motorists may use the yellow lane to make way for faster drivers (while adhering to the speed limit), however this can only be conducted on single carriageways and only if it is safe, during daylight hours and if you have 150 m of visibility in front of you.
The legalities
MasterDrive enforces the point that motorists are not obliged to use the yellow lane to allow vehicles to pass but also state that it is permissible, considering that doing so will prevent traffic from backing up. If the driver feels that moving into the yellow lane is not safe, he or she can make the decision to not move over.
If you want more information regarding this issue you can get a hold of the guys at MasterDrive on their website.
