When Is It Legal to Pass on the Right in Idaho?

While 99% of the things associated with the "new normal" we were forced into over the last 15 months were insanely infuriating, there's 1% of things we'll miss.

What makes up that 1%? The immediate improvement in traffic! Pre-pandemic, I'd have to give myself at least 50 minutes to get from my apartment in Southeast Boise to my 5:45 class at the Village because traffic was so stupid and unpredictable. When my gym was allow to reopen, I was able to make that drive in less than 20 minutes on a good day because so many people were still working from home.

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But things are getting bad again and I'm not just talking at the Flying Y. I'm talking in my own neighborhood too. To get to I-84, I use West Linden to avoid all the lights on Broadway. It's a two lane road (one lane traveling in each direction.) If someone decides they're going to turn left onto Leadville, traffic starts to back up and you're going to be stuck there for 84 years.

Of course, you'll get those impatient drivers who won't just wait it out so they'll squish themselves into the bike lane to pass the car on the right. Um...you can't do that, right?

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Right. Passing on the right in Idaho is illegal UNLESS it falls into one of these buckets described in the Idaho Department of Transportation's Driver Manual:

• When the vehicle you’re overtaking on a two-lane, two-way road is signaling to turn left
• On a one-way or multi-lane street with two or more lanes going your direction

So, what happens if you're busted for passing on the right when you're not supposed to? You could be accessed 2 points on your license under Idaho Code 49-633.