So when can you “legally” speed in Washington?

Posted Friday, March 31, 2017 by Andrew Charles Huff

As an attorney who defends people cited with various traffic laws, I am asked that question occasionally. Many people believe that you can exceed the speed limit if you are passing another vehicle taking up the left hand lane. RCW 46.61.100 requires that all vehicles “Keep right except when passing,” leaving the far left lane as a passing lane (unless no one is behind you) and many believe if you want to pass another vehicle traveling in the same direction, speeding to pass is allowed. But beware that the law does not allow you to speed to pass another in the left lane by traveling in an adjacent lane going in the same direction, although I admit it’s tempting . However, the law does allow you to exceed the speed limit when using the opposite oncoming lane to pass another vehicle not divided by a solid line. So if you are driving on a one lane road and the driver ahead of you is traveling below the speed limit, you are allowed to pass the vehicle by using the left oncoming lane to speed past the vehicle before moving back over to your lane once you have passed.