Which lane is the first lane on the highway?
3 Answers
Highway first lane is the overtaking lane. Overtaking lanes in different situations: Count from left to right. If there are 2 lanes in the same direction, the left lane is the overtaking lane and the right lane is the driving lane. If there are 3 lanes in the same direction, the leftmost lane is the overtaking lane for small vehicles, the middle lane is the driving lane for small vehicles and the overtaking lane for large vehicles, and the right lane is the driving lane. The rightmost lane is the emergency lane, which can only be used in case of vehicle malfunction, otherwise fines and penalty points may be imposed. Highways: They are classified as high-grade roads. According to the "Technical Standards for Highway Engineering" issued by the Ministry of Transport of China, highways refer to "roads that can accommodate an average daily traffic volume of more than 25,000 small passenger cars, are exclusively for high-speed divided-lane driving, and have fully controlled access." Although different countries have different names for highways, they all refer to roads with more than 4 lanes, separated two-way traffic, fully controlled access, and all-grade interchanges. On July 21, 2015, after thorough investigation, research, and demonstration of the functions, characteristics, and funding of highways, it was concluded that long-term tolls for highways based on the principle of "user pays" are reasonable.
After driving on the highway for so many years, the leftmost lane next to the median barrier is the first lane. This is the overtaking lane with the highest speed limit, reserved for small vehicles. I prefer using this lane for long-distance driving, but remember to return to the middle lane after overtaking—don’t hog it. In recent years, speed cameras have become stricter; driving at the maximum speed limit won’t trigger them, but speeding is still risky. If you encounter a slow vehicle blocking the lane, avoid honking recklessly—using turn signals to alert is safer. New drivers should stick to the middle lane for stability, as highway traffic moves fast—lane changes should be decisive but not forced. Speed limits vary significantly between lanes: this lane allows 120 km/h, while the far-right lane might be capped at 80 km/h.
I was so nervous when I first drove on the highway, and only realized the innermost lane was the overtaking lane by following the navigation prompts. The instructor emphasized that this lane must maintain a speed over 100 km/h, and driving too slowly is actually dangerous. Last month, I witnessed a rear-end collision caused by a slow car hogging the first lane, with the following car unable to avoid it in time. Now I remember to check the rearview mirror after each overtake and promptly move back to the middle lane if there's no car behind. Different highways have varying designs—for example, in Shandong, two parallel lanes are both marked as the first lane, so it's important to pay attention to road signs. This lane is also prone to water accumulation in bad weather, so I avoid it and stick to the middle lane on rainy days.
