OPP Are Calling Out Drivers For Being Too Slow In The Left Lane & Causing Road Rage
OPP Sgt. Kerry Schmidt took to Twitter on Thursday to express one of his biggest "pet peeves" about Ontario drivers. Brace yourself, highway commuters. This hot take could hit home.
"I was coming down Highway 400 this evening, traffic volume was relatively light, there was a good flow of traffic, and all of a sudden, there'd be a slowdown and a stacking up of vehicles," Schmidt said.
\u201cHow do you respond to left laners? \nMove to the right when traffic approaches from behind.\u201d— OPP Highway Safety Division (@OPP Highway Safety Division) 1668136364
The officer recalled his repeated encounters with vehicles clogging up the left lane and refusing to move over.
"I would see a single vehicle all by itself in the leftmost lane and not moving over," he added. "Even though there was plenty of opportunities for these vehicles to move into the middle lane or right lane to allow other vehicles to pass on the left."
Schmidt stressed that there are plenty of highway signs that inform drivers to "keep the left lane open for passing," arguing that refusing to do so causes unnecessary backups and widespread frustration.
"When vehicles and drivers don't have that awareness that they're causing vehicles to start backing up and stacking up behind them," he states. "That leads to frustration, it can lead to road rage, and it leads to confusion over the road when there's vehicles passing in all lanes of the highway."
Schmidt clarifies that although it's not illegal to pass vehicles on the other three lanes of the highway, it's "courteous" for motorists to move to the right when being overtaken.
Schmidt concluded the video by asking drivers how they react to vehicles driving slowly in the left lane in an attempt to address the issue "collectively" and instruct those who may be oblivious to the rule to better "share the road."
This article's right-hand cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.
