Is Lane Changing Allowed on Dashed Lines Where Photo Enforcement is Present?
1 Answers
When roads are congested or traffic is moving slowly with adjacent lanes queued up or crawling, lane changing is prohibited under these circumstances. Recently, a Mr. Yang received a ticket for changing lanes on a dashed line, resulting in a 3-point deduction and a 200-yuan fine. Article 53, Paragraph 2 of the "Implementation Regulations of the Road Traffic Safety Law of the People's Republic of China" states: "When encountering queued or slow-moving vehicles ahead, motor vehicles shall line up in order and shall not weave between or overtake vehicles from either side, nor shall they stop and wait within crosswalks or grid-marked areas." During the transition from red to green lights, areas near traffic signals are typically marked with solid lines, where experienced drivers rarely make mistakes. However, if traffic volume is high and many vehicles are waiting at the light, queues may naturally extend to dashed-line sections. Many seasoned drivers frequently change lanes in these areas, but if such maneuvers disrupt the normal movement of adjacent lane vehicles, they may still be penalized if caught on camera. Even during smooth traffic conditions, frequent lane changes by some experienced drivers can lead to accidents due to higher speeds, often resulting in rear-end collisions. In most cases, the vehicle forcing the lane change bears responsibility for such incidents. Article 44, Paragraph 2 of the same regulations specifies: "On roads with two or more motor vehicle lanes in the same direction, the vehicle changing lanes must not affect the normal operation of vehicles in the relevant lanes."
