Staying In Your Lane
G.S. 20-146 — the right half of the road, slower traffic to the right, and as nearly as practicable within a single lane
The right half. In North Carolina, on every highway of sufficient width a vehicle is driven on the right half of the highway, except when overtaking and passing another vehicle under the passing rules, when an obstruction makes it necessary to drive left of center while yielding to vehicles traveling in the proper direction, on a highway divided into three marked lanes under the rules for it, or on a highway signposted for one-way traffic.
Slower traffic keeps right. A vehicle going less than the legal maximum speed limit is driven in the right-hand lane then available for through traffic, or as close as practicable to the right-hand curb or edge, except when overtaking and passing or preparing for a left turn. Where Slower Traffic Keep Right signs or signs of similar import are posted, driving in the inside lane next to the median of a dual-lane highway below the posted limit, when that impedes the steady flow of traffic, is unlawful except when preparing for a left turn.
Within a single lane. Where a street has been divided into two or more clearly marked lanes, a vehicle is driven as nearly as practicable entirely within a single lane, and is not moved from that lane until the driver has first ascertained that the movement can be made with safety.
Center lanes and wide highways. On a two-way street of three or more lanes, the center lane is used only for passing when it is clear of traffic within a safe distance, for preparing a left turn, or where a traffic control device allocates it to that direction. On a two-way highway of four or more lanes, no vehicle is driven left of the centerline except where traffic control devices allow it or to get around an obstruction.
Heavy trucks. A motor vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating of 26,001 pounds or more does not operate in the leftmost lane of a controlled-access highway of six or more lanes, except when entering or exiting the highway, avoiding a hazard, or passing.
Whether a particular drift over a line was a violation, or a reason for a stop, depends on the facts and on how the courts read the words as nearly as practicable, and is a question for a licensed North Carolina attorney.
Sources for this section (1)
- G.S. 20-146 — Drive on right side of highway; exceptions
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of September 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed North Carolina attorney.