Traffic police director says lane hogging is an offence, up to RM2k fine; middle, right lanes only for overtaking

We’ve all seen it before – you’re overtaking on the highway only to come across a car sitting square on the right lane, dawdling below the speed limit. No matter how much you flash your high beams, the motorist remains unmoved, seemingly either unaware or unwilling to give way. Before long, a whole line of cars forms behind you, all trying to make progress.

This is the unfortunate reality of driving on Malaysian highways. Lane hogging is a serious problem here – entirely separate from the equally egregious one of speeding – which can cause congestion by forcing those behind to slow down, creating an accordion effect.

Lane hogging can also cause accidents as those stuck behind them the offenders have to “undertake” on the left lanes or weave around slower cars just to get ahead, increasing the risk of a collision. There are plenty of motorists who think that just because they drive at or just below the speed limit they are entitled to sit on the middle or right lanes, but that simply isn’t the case.

A lot of people don’t know this, but lane hogging isn’t just a nuisance but an offence. In an interview with TV3’s Buletin Utama, the director of the police’s Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Department (JSPT) Mohd Yusri Hassan Basri said this “highly irresponsible” behaviour carries a fine of between RM300 to RM2,000.

“If drivers want to reduce their speed, they should move to the left lane of the highway to give way to other road users for them to resume their journeys smoothly and at the set speed limit,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS) said lane hogging reflects the lack of awareness and discipline of Malaysian road users, as do distracted driving and the use of phones while driving.

“They feel they have the right to be in [the middle or right lanes] as long as they don’t drive over the speed limit,” said the agency’s senior research officer Norfaizah Mohamad Khaidir. “If we ask Malaysians, most will say that driving over the speed limit is wrong, but they don’t realise that driving slowly in the fast lane is [also] an offence.”

So the next time you’re on the highway, practice lane discipline by driving on the leftmost lane and only moving to the middle or right lanes on the highway to overtake. Not only does it make highways more efficient by smoothening the flow of traffic, but it is also safer and more considerate to everyone around you.

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