Surf Coast police crack down on drivers not keeping left unless overtaking

Surf Coast police have cracked down on drivers breaking a simple road rule, issuing fines of almost $200 to multiple residents. TAKE OUR POLL.

Drivers travelling along the Surf Coast Hwy have been fined for breaking a contentious road rule.

Surf Coast police have cracked down on drivers breaking a simple but highly contentious road rule.

At least five drivers have been fined almost $200 this week and issued multiple demerit points for not keeping left unless overtaking while travelling along the Surf Coast Hwy.

According to Vic Roads, when travelling on a multi-lane road with a speed limit of more than 80km/h, drivers must keep out of the right lane unless they are overtaking, turning right or if all lanes are congested.

If the right lane is a transit lane, the rule applies to the lane immediately left of the transit lane.

One driver was sitting in the right lane for more than a kilometre and travelling at 92km/h along the Surf Coast Hwy just before 5pm on Wednesday.

The speed limit on the major road is 100km/h.

Police issued the driver a $192 fine and two demerit points, which is the maximum penalty if caught breaking the rule.

Full license holders can accumulate 12 demerit points for a three-year period.

Another driver failed to keep left for two kilometres and was travelling at 95km/h on Thursday about 1pm.

Despite the driver claiming they were “going 100”, they were also fined $192 and two demerit points.

Despite this driver claiming they were travelling at 100km/h along the Surf Coast Hwy, police fined them for driving in the right lane for two kilometres and not keeping left. Picture: Eyewatch - Surfcoast Police Service Area

A third driver also failed to keep left for a kilometre and, although he “didn’t know it was an issue”, was also fined $192 and two demerit points.

The infringement notices were shared to Eyewatch - Surfcoast Police Service Area Facebook page earlier this week, with the community praising local cops for cracking down on the issue.

“Thank goodness someone is enforcing the road rules,” one local commented.

Another said: “It’s always been the law. Good that we are now policing it more.”

A third said: “People consider it not an issue, but I think it contributes (to) a lot to road rage and dangerous driving.”

Originally published as Surf Coast police crack down on drivers not keeping left unless overtaking