How to avoid left-lane syndrome

How many times have you come across a vehicle in the left or overtaking lane that is going slower than those on the right, or that won’t move over?

Occupying the left lane while travelling at a lower speed than the rest of the lanes is one of the great evils of the road. Not only that, but many drivers tend to get distracted and not move over when you try to overtake them.

There are also drivers who occupy this acceleration and overtaking lane simply because they feel like it, and they believe they have every right to do so; they will even get annoyed if you flash your headlights or try to overtake them.

All of this is known as left-lane syndrome, and its consequences can be summed up as: a greater likelihood of traffic jams, more accidents, more road rage and, in general, the creation of bad habits among other drivers, such as finding yourself forced to overtake on the right.

The DGT identified this as one of the bad habits on the road some time ago, possibly after the persistent complaints from drivers who noticed it many years ago…

To quote the Directorate-General for Traffic (DGT) itself:

“Some drivers, for whatever reason, are unaware of the purpose for which the left lane is intended. This is a problem, since the consequences boil down to more traffic jams, sudden braking and, inevitably, accidents…”

The left lane is for overtaking, not for occupying it for kilometres for no reason. There is a difference between driving on an empty road, for example in the early hours of the morning, and being able to take a more appropriate line without bothering anyone, and, quite another, occupying the left lane with traffic and preventing other drivers from overtaking, forcing them to brake and, ultimately, provoking anger.

The DGT launched a campaign against left-lane syndrome not long ago. They found that 60% of drivers do not know how to use this lane. These are especially worrying figures.

It seems that, on the one hand, driving schools and examiners are not doing their job properly and, on the other, drivers are simply getting worse at driving…

On many occasions the left lane is clogged while the right lane is completely empty. This situation leads many drivers to feel forced to overtake on the right, which increases the risk of possible accidents.

As a newsroom, we believe an efficient solution would be to start fining drivers who do not respect the rules of this lane and cause traffic jams or annoy other drivers.