| observations from austria (remember we have the steering wheel on the right side ... so, the left). the law on the autobahn/multi-lane streets is: change to a lane on the left (a faster lane) only to overtake (except for special conditions, i.e. traffic jams/very slow moving). mostly south of vienna, the system is different though. due to the high amount of traffic from eastern neighboring states, with different rules and different speed limits (austrias autobahn speed limit is 130km/h, while in the east it's sometimes 120km/h, i'd guess), it's usually: * right lane (slowest): trucks and slow moving vehicles ~80-100km/h * middle lane: normal traffic, depending on weather ~110-120km/h (with sometimes up to 130-140km/h if traffic permits, usually not for long though) * left lane (fastest): traffic going faster (130km/h+) you choose the lane appropriate for your speed. overtaking strictly on the left. this is, strictly speaking, not legal. if the slower lane is free you have to change, even if you're going top speed. in the beginning i've been complaining about people not observing the local laws, but nowadays i have to admit that i think the eastern system works better. |