Under California’s left lane law, any driver moving slower than the flow of surrounding traffic must stay in the right-hand lane, and camping in a left lane while faster cars stack up behind you is a traffic infraction that runs about $362 in total fines and puts one point on your driving record.
What the Keep Right Rule Actually Says
Vehicle Code 21654 requires any vehicle traveling slower than the normal speed of surrounding traffic to drive in the right-hand lane, or as close to the right edge of the road as practical.1California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code VEH 21654 The measuring stick is the speed of the cars around you, not the number on the sign. If traffic is flowing at 70 on a 65 mph freeway and you’re doing 63, you are the slower vehicle and the law expects you to be on the right.
This trips up drivers who assume that going the limit entitles them to any lane. It doesn’t. If cars are passing you on the right, you’re in the wrong lane.
When You Can Legally Use a Left Lane
Section 21654 writes in two exceptions:
- Passing a slower vehicle traveling in the same direction, then returning right.
- Preparing for a left turn at an intersection, private road, or driveway.
A separate statute, Vehicle Code 21650, covers the case where the right side of the road is closed for construction or repair.2California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code VEH 21650 If the right lane is physically blocked, driving left of it isn’t a violation.
Heavy congestion effectively suspends the rule in practice. When every lane is crawling at the same speed, no one is going slower than surrounding traffic, and officers don’t write keep-right tickets in stop-and-go conditions.
The Prima Facie Problem If You Get Pulled Over
Section 21654(b) treats the fact of being slower than surrounding traffic while outside the right lane as prima facie evidence of a violation.1California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code VEH 21654 That shifts the burden onto you to show a valid reason for being in a left lane. The officer doesn’t have to prove you had no excuse; you have to supply one.
Stricter Rules for Trucks and Towed Vehicles
Larger, heavier vehicles operate under tighter restrictions. Vehicle Code 22406 caps trucks with three or more axles, truck tractors pulling another vehicle, and passenger vehicles or buses towing another vehicle at 55 mph on any highway, along with a handful of other categories.3California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code VEH 22406
Because they move slower, Vehicle Code 21655 requires them to stay in the right-hand lane, or in any lane specifically designated for slower traffic by Caltrans or a local authority.4California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code VEH 21655 On a divided highway with four or more lanes going the same direction and no designated truck lane, these vehicles may also use the lane immediately to the left of the right-hand lane. On a four-lane freeway, that means the two rightmost lanes are open to them and the other two are not.
HOV Lanes Follow a Different Rule
Carpool lanes don’t fit under the keep-right analysis. Vehicle Code 21655.5 governs them, and use is limited to vehicles meeting the posted occupancy requirement, motorcycles, qualifying clean-air vehicles with a valid decal, and certain emergency and transit vehicles.5California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code VEH 21655.5 Entering one without meeting the requirements is a separate violation with a higher fine, not a keep-right ticket.
What a Ticket Costs
A violation of Section 21654 is a standard infraction with a base fine of $70. California’s penalty assessment system layers state surcharges, county fees, and court costs on top, pushing the total to roughly $362 under the state’s Uniform Bail and Penalty Schedules.6California Courts. Uniform Bail and Penalty Schedules 2025 The same total applies to a truck lane violation under Section 21655.
Points and the Long-Term Cost
A conviction adds one point to your driving record under Vehicle Code 12810.7California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code VEH 12810 One point on its own is minor, but it counts toward the DMV’s Negligent Operator Treatment System, which escalates as points accumulate:8California DMV. Negligent Operator Actions
- Warning letter at 2 points within 12 months, 4 within 24 months, or 6 within 36 months.
- Notice of intent to suspend at 3 within 12, 5 within 24, or 7 within 36.
- Probation or suspension at 4 within 12, 6 within 24, or 8 within 36.
Insurance is the quieter cost. A single-point violation often triggers a rate increase at renewal, and in California’s market that increase can outrun the ticket itself within a year or two. Combined with any other recent citation or at-fault accident, a keep-right ticket moves you toward the DMV’s thresholds faster than the fine alone suggests.