If the road is wide enough…. you can pass!
I’m sure we have all thought about this one!
You are driving along and you get to a section of roadway that is really wide… but it’s only striped one lane down the middle.
Meanwhile, cars are zooming past you.
Some are all over the place.
And others are driving down the middle.
You think to yourself, “is this one lane or TWO?”
Well, here’s the deal. It is CONSIDERED one lane. BUT, if the lane is wide enough to accomodate two cars side by side, safely, without leaving the roadway… it is permissible. That is according to both North Las Vegas Police and Metro.
I wanted to share that with you. A co-worker recently asked me that question and it’s something that crossed my mind in the past as well.
I can only imagine… it’s crossed yours too! 
Tags: lanes, wide roads
March 27th, 2008 at 2:51 pm
Hey Dayna! Thanks for the FYI! It has been something that’s crossed my mind… many times! I have to say I’m one of the drivers who passes others, but I’ve always had a thought in the back of my head about it being illegal. Glad to know it’s not! Do you know if Public Works has plans to do something about all of these roads in Vegas? Just painting extra lines or something? I think it’s a waste of money, space and road when they really go nowhere!
April 1st, 2008 at 7:42 am
It’s not that simple… they need to have the funding, etc. to paint the lines. They only have a crew of four that take care of the entire county and sometimes they have higher priority painting to do… plus, the roads have to have enough traffic on them to be deserving of that other lane. I hope this information helps!
April 9th, 2008 at 7:02 pm
Is it legal to pass on the right, or only on the left of the car you are passing? I was taught only on the left in drivers education. has this changed?? I see people passing on the right all the time. I know it’s dangeruos but dont know if it’s legal.
April 11th, 2008 at 7:26 am
All road signs are written in english, yet the D.M.V.
continues to issue licenses to people who can’t read
english, putting my life at risk everyday. How is this possible??? Does my life not count???
April 11th, 2008 at 7:33 am
Does the ice cream man have his translator from court
drive around with him on his route all day ? How
about illegal aliens, or non documented citizens? How
much longer is my life at risk ?
April 29th, 2008 at 1:22 am
Bobbi, this is my unscientific guess: The DMV wants money. You’re concerned about the problem of them handing out driver licenses to people who can’t read English (and don’t show any hint of wanting to learn…), but the bigger problem, at least in my eyes is that DMV will hand out vehicle registrations to people who don’t HAVE A DRIVER LICENSE. We need to start telling people that having license plates doesn’t mean you’re allowed to drive. I’m sorry, but I grew up in the USA, I had to take driver’s ed, go to DMV and pass a vision test, a written test and a driving test before they let me drive a car. Apparently just being on US soil (legally or not…) is enough reason to start driving around anywhere you please…. even if you don’t know the rules of the road, or you can’t read the signs, or you don’t have any insurance. Gotta love it huh?
June 18th, 2008 at 2:53 pm
I’m responding to March 24th in which you stated that Metro and North Las Vegas state it is acceptable for traffic to pass on the right when the lane is really wide. I wanted to know if there is a statute on that. I drive s/b on Pecos everyday between Russell and Sunset and the right lane is large and traffic is passing but I see a lot of traffic accident reports in my job and I am looking at one where the accident occured at Pecos/Patrick with one vehicle passing on the right and was cited for it. Is it just the individual officers opinion if it is permissible?
June 24th, 2008 at 5:12 am
Well, it depends on the situation. If the car passes “safely” it’s okay as long as it’s wide enough… BUT unless there are details to explain exactly what happened… it’s hard to say. Did he use his/her blinker? Were they speeding? Etc.
Here’s what police told me:
The lane would only be considered as one travel lane. If the lane is wide enough for two cars to travel in it side by side, safely, without leaving the roadway it is permissible.
July 6th, 2008 at 12:27 pm
The law should simply read “Share the available road” that would remove all question