Driving 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
entering or leaving the road; or
moving from one marked lane to another marked lane; or
avoiding an obstruction; or
obeying a traffic control device applying to the marked lane; or
lane filtering in accordance with rule 151A; or
(f) permitted to drive in more than one marked lane under another provision of the Australian Road Rules or under another law of this jurisdiction.
Offence provision.
Notes
1 Driver's vehicle, marked lane, multi-lane road, obstruction, service road and traffic control device are defined in the dictionary, lane filtering is defined in rule 151A and shoulder is defined in rule 12.
2 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.
3 Rule 148 deals with giving way when moving from one marked lane to another marked lane.
4 An overhead lane control device may require a driver to leave a marked lane – see rule 152.
5 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 or a shoulder of the road); or
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
the driver is avoiding an obstruction; or
the driver is lane filtering in accordance with rule 151A.
Offence provision.
Notes
1 Rule 148 deals with giving way when moving from one line of traffic to another line of traffic.
2 Lane filtering is defined in rule 151A.
3 The application of this rule is modified by regulation 79 of the Traffic Regulations 1999.
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