Although many drivers are unaware of it, driving without cause in the middle lane on roads that have three is penalized with 200 euros as it is a serious offense that can cause dangerous maneuvers. In Catalonia, the Mossos d'Esquadra issued 74 fines from January to July, one every three days.
According to data from the Catalan Traffic Service (SCT) to which EFE has had access, between January and July of this year, 74 disciplinary proceedings have been processed for this practice behind the wheel, compared to 66 in the same period last year.
This is an infraction that penalizes the driver who drives in the center lane on a road with two directions of travel and three lanes separated by dashed lines, without this being due to any overtaking or a change of direction to the left or to facilitate the incorporation of vehicles through an access branch on the right.
To these 74 fines already processed by Traffic are added the nearly 800 that the Mossos have issued in the same period to drivers who, on two-lane roads, always drive to the left.
In statements to EFE, the inspector of the Traffic Division of the Mossos Vanessa B. Gómez explained that putting the "autopilot" on when entering a three-lane motorway or dual carriageway and driving in the middle all the time is a risk to circulation, as it can lead to "dangerous maneuvers" and can also cause traffic congestion.
In fact, if a driver drives correctly on the right on a three-lane road and meets a car in the middle at a lower speed, he would commit an infraction if he overtakes it on the right, so he has to go to the right. left lane to overtake and return back to the right.
In addition to the road hazard, driving in the middle lane often causes a "plug effect": the central one collapses, the left one is heavily loaded and the right one is practically empty.
Despite this, according to the Mossos inspector, many drivers say they are unaware that driving in the center lane without cause is an infraction -despite the fact that, for example, at highway gates it is customary to remember that you must drive on the right- and allege that they do it for comfort and that they do not believe that their behavior is dangerous.
Most offenders are detected by dynamic Mossos patrols that, when they observe a driver driving in the center lane and verify that he is not overtaking or preparing to leave on the left, flash lights on him and warn him over the public address system to warn him of You should drive to the right.
If the offenders pay attention and move to the right lane, most of the time they are not penalized, but if they continue in the middle lane, they are forced to stop the vehicle and are fined: a 200-euro penalty -which is reduced by a 50% if paid within 20 days- and no points deducted from the driver's license.
Another mechanism to detect this type of infraction is through the images of the Traffic helicopter, when they record a vehicle that constantly circulates in the central lane.
However, the Mossos do not carry out specific campaigns to penalize this type of conduct, such as those they do, for example, to penalize excessive speed, breathalyzers and drivers who do not wear seat belts.
The fact that it is a type of infraction in which the Mossos do not usually fine directly, since in most cases they previously notify the behavior to correct it, would be one of the reasons that would explain why the number of complaints is relatively low. according to the inspector.
Specifically, in January 18 drivers have been denounced -there were 7 in the same month last year, in February, 27 -9-, in March, 11 -6-, in April, 10 -1-, in May 4 -13- , in June 4 -2- and in July none -28-, therefore, in the same period, there have been 66 fines in 2022 to 74 in 2023, an average of one every three days.
Most of the sanctions for infractions of this type -53 of the total of 74- have been imposed on the AP-7 motorway, where the Mossos have deployed more dynamic patrols as a result of the increase in the accident rate detected after the liberalization of the tolls.
At the same time, in the cases of two-lane roads, drivers who permanently drive on the left are also penalized with 200 euros and without deducting any points, in this case for "obstructing" traffic. Between January and July, the Mossos have issued some 800 fines for this offence.
