Driving on Left Side of Roadway (CVC 21752)
Ever been on a two-lane road behind what has to be the slowest driver ever?
Most drivers feel as though there’s almost nothing worse than getting stuck behind slow-moving vehicles and sometimes it seems that reaching our destination is never going to happen unless we get around them.
The process of moving to the left-hand lane of the road to overtake and pass a slower-moving vehicle can be impeded by several factors.
If the road being traveled has many hills or curves or, worse yet, several of them, a driver can soon become frustrated and take a risk just to get out from behind the offending vehicle. Hills and curves aren’t the only issues, though. If you’re approaching a bridge, tunnel opening, intersection, railroad crossing, or other feature that could obstruct your line of sight, you can really be taking a chance if you attempt to pass another vehicle.
Unfortunately, being in too much of a hurry can not only be risky in terms of possibly causing an accident, but it can result in receiving a traffic ticket. California traffic tickets of this type fall under California Vehicle Code 21752, which states.
No vehicle shall be driven to the left side of the roadway under the following conditions:
- When approaching or upon the crest of a grade or a curve in the highway where the driver’s view is obstructed within such distance as to create a hazard in the event another vehicle might approach from the opposite direction.
- When the view is obstructed upon approaching within 100 feet of any bridge, viaduct, or tunnel.
- When approaching within 100 feet of or when traversing any railroad grade crossing.
- When approaching within 100 feet of or when traversing any intersection.
Real sticking point of this particular California Vehicle Code appears to lie within the distance between a passing vehicle and the possible impediment.
One hundred feet sounds like quite a long distance, it can make estimating the distance tricky, at best, and your point of view as the driver may be very different from the point of view of a law enforcement officer who sees you passing another vehicle.
Driving on the Left Side of the Road can be Expensive
If you receive a California traffic ticket for a violation of CVC 21752, you certainly aren’t going to get out of your vehicle and measure the distance to prove to the ticketing officer that you were operating within the law. But that doesn’t mean you have to accept the fine and related fees without a fight.
This minimum fine for this violation is between $237 and $490 depending on the alleged situation plus a point on your driving record.
Reach out to our team to get an understanding of the options you have with the citation. You can also send the ticket in for a free ticket review.