It shouldn’t even be a debate, but camping in the passing lane is illegal. Yes, even if you’re doing the speed limit posted. The left lane is the passing lane and should only be used as such. If you’re done passing, get back to the second lane.
Still, there are those who insist on being a mobile speed limiter. Worse still, there are those who stay in the passing lane doing 20kph below the limit. Typing that already raises our blood pressure.
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But should you try and pull the move in Malaysia, you, your license, and your wallet will be in for a terrible time. That’s because the country has some of the stiffest fines for lane hogging in the region.
Malaysia motoring website Paultan.org mentioned that lane hogging has been a big problem over there. So much so that the police have stepped in and reminded motorists that it is, indeed, illegal. Mohd Yusri Hassan Basri, police director of the Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Department (JSPT), even went as far as calling the move ‘highly irresponsible.’
So, on to the penalties. For starters, drivers face demerits on their licenses, and successive offenses will lead to a driving ban or revocation. Then there’s the hefty fine. It starts out at RM300, the same fine as speeding over 40kph over the limit and shows just how serious of an offense it is. Keep doing that and it’s a hefty RM2,000 fine and heaps of demerits on the license.
Converted to local currency, offenders pay a minimum of about P4,000, all the way to P26,300. For reference, doing the same move here nets a P1,000 fine along NLEX. The specific violation for that is called ‘Failure to follow designated lanes,’ though the penalty pales in comparison to Malaysia.
Stiffer fines for passing lane hoggers, anyone? And for those who insist that it’s okay to putter along at 83kph on that lane and cause a long queue behind because ‘you're driving safely’, click on these blue words for a little refresher.
