This image (see below) of vehicles on a two-lane road squeezing to the side kerbs to create an unoccupied middle lane has been spreading wildly on Facebook and Reddit.
Background
Driving in many countries of the world has always proven to be a challenging situation characterized by impatience, anger and outright disregard for traffic rules. In Kenya, traffic jams are a common occurrence with many people’s journeys of less than 25 kilometres taking hours, especially in Nairobi.
This has led to overlapping and a driving culture that sees drivers changing lanes without signalling. The most notorious of these motorists are matatu (public service vehicle) operators who earn their living by the number of trips they make.
These situations make it hard for emergency response teams and medical personnel transferring patients from reaching the required places on time. In Kenya, it is a common scene to see police officers forcing vehicles to make way for ambulances despite hearing their sirens blazing.
Verification
According to many Germans on Reddit, it is a common occurrence in Germany to create an emergency escape lane.
In neighbouring Austria, the government’s help portal states that drivers are required to clear a lane for emergency vehicles between the existing lanes of a motorway or a dual carriageway as soon as traffic ceases to progress and congestion is imminent.
“Drivers of vehicles are required to clear a lane for emergency vehicles [Rettungsgasse ] between the existing lanes of a motorway [Autobahn] or a dual carriageway [Autostraße] as soon as traffic ceases to progress and congestion is imminent. This obligation applies on carriageways which are divided and have at least two lanes. Clearing a lane helps emergency vehicles get to their destination without being hindered.”
The obligation to keep the lane clear ends as soon as traffic starts moving smoothly and a traffic standstill is no longer to be expected.
Drivers who do not clear the lane or drive on it could be fined up to 726 Euros.
The above statement is echoed on the German-way website. Buzzfeed Germany posted in May 2017 a series of perfect escape lanes in a listicle.
Verdict
The claim that German drivers are required by law to create an emergency escape middle lane once traffic comes to a standstill is therefore TRUE.
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