We’ve all seen them. The driver who treats a red light like a suggestion or the one who thinks the passing lane is their personal living room. But in my years of patrol, I didn’t just see these drivers as "annoyances"—I saw them as potential collisions.
When you’re behind the wheel in BC, you aren't just managing a vehicle; you’re managing the psychology of everyone around you. Here is a breakdown of the personalities that make our roads dangerous, and how I handled them from both sides of the windshield.
1. The "Competitor"
The Move: You reach the passing lane and the driver you have been following speeds up to the limit while you are trying to pass.
The Officer's Insight: When I pulled these drivers over, the excuse was almost always the same: "The other driver was the problem, not me." I often saw this happen when road conditions had required a reduced speed like a winding road that wasn't conducive to doing the limit. The driver in second place, who had been waiting for a chance to pass was determined to do it, leading to a dangerous race for the end of the passing lane.
The Law: In BC, Section 158 of the Motor Vehicle Act is clear: the driver of the vehicle being overtaken must give way to the right and must not increase the speed of the vehicle until completely passed.
2. The "Left Lane Conflict" (Frustration vs. Danger)
The Move: A driver sits in the left lane matching the speed limit exactly, while a "bulldozing" driver behind them tries to force their way through.
The Officer's Insight: This is a philosophical battle on the highway, but as an officer, I had to look at it through the lens of safety. While the driver doing the limit in the left lane is the source of frustration, the driver trying to bulldoze their way by is the obvious danger.
In my view, the aggressive behaviour of the speeder creates a much higher risk of a collision than the lane-blocking violation. When I had to choose where to take enforcement action, I ticketed the aggressive driver. Their behaviour was significantly more dangerous. I’ve often wondered if the "Keep Right" laws are simply meant to facilitate speeding by clearing a path for those who refuse to follow the limit.
The Law: While Section 151.1 of the MVA requires drivers to move right for faster traffic on high-speed roads (80km/h+), it does not grant the following driver the right to use aggressive tactics or "bulldoze" others out of the way.
3. The "Tailgater"
The Move: Driving so close you can see the brand of their sunglasses in your rearview mirror.
The Officer's Insight: Believe it or not, people even tailgated marked police cars from time to time. Most people are smarter than that, but for those who aren't, it's a high-risk game.
The Tactical Fix: In my own vehicle, I don't try to "teach them a lesson" by brake-checking. I simply get out of the way and let them go. It’s safe, it’s fast, and it removes the conflict immediately. Your goal isn't to win a personality clash; it's to arrive safely.
Summary: The Veteran’s Rule of Thumb
The biggest mistake you can make with these drivers is trying to police them yourself. That’s what the police are for. If you encounter a "Competitor" or a "Blocker" on the Coquihalla or the Island Highway, your best tool isn't your horn—it's your signal lever. Move over, let the problem drive away from you, and stay focused on your own path.
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This is exactly what I saw...both drivers being fools. If someone wants to go faster just move over. Less stress less headache. Never know there might be a speed trap over the next hill or past the next intersection if they want to exceed the speed limit.
In the video the driver blocking the truck was lucky the truck driving fool didn't accidently take her out too when he lost control. Hard to control a vehicle with one hand while operating an handheld electronic device in the other. She wouldn't be laughing with serious injuries stuck in a hospital bed.
I see it all the time..people trying to get around others and they take very dangerous swerves to get around them...some left lane blockers try to speed up to prevent people from getting in front of them and then go slow again to further agitate the other driver trying to get past them.
I wonder how many pedestrians do this on sidewalks or in grocery isles?..blocking others or even speeding up to prevent others from getting by? Cutting off other pedestrians? Somehow ettiquette is just a personal up close thing and it all changes the moment they get behind the wheel.
Yet I never see a driver in BC pulled over for blocking the left lane though...in the USA yes.
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So that's why so many officers' hats slope forward over their eyes. Flattened foreheads from repeated encounters with the courts.
Seriously, I really wish the courts would consider "Clarity of Purpose" more often.
What is the Purpose of the Law ?
Presumably : Road safety.
If a driver deliberately blocks other traffic, that isn't safe, and usually excacerbates a bad situation.A ticket should be warranted.
On another matter : I briefly heard a radio item about a driver who had just received his 26th Distracted Driving citation. Why is he still on the road.
Back to Clarity of Purpose .
If the law is ostensibly there to prevent accidents, and he is obviously and deliberately flaunting it, why isn't he jailed or at the least, prohibited from driving ?
Just wondering.
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I can understand why you might expect this driver - after 26 Distracted Driving citations - to have lost his license by now, but looking at the legislation (including penalties) I'm ready to take a guess at the answer.
Take a look at this link from the OSMV.
You'll see there that our 59 year old driver will fit into the 'All Drivers' category, and it's too late for GLP so far as he's concerned ... and that so long as he hasn't been caught texting, emailing, or dialing, then no penalty points will have been put on his license. He's 'only' acquired $4,342 in fines ($167 x 26 tickets). If he's paid the fines off, that's the end of his penalty under current legislation. If he hasn't, then interest will accrue, quite possibly at an alarming rate; but unless and until he requires a service from ICBC - Driver License renewal, for instance, which typically happens every five years - then there's nothing to keep him off the road, or to prevent him from continuing this behaviour.
The fact that he has been nailed 26 times, though, certainly shows that either he's blind as a bat - or utterly distracted - when he's behind the wheel, most of the time. Probably wealthy, too ...
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I don't agree encouraging bullish behaviours of speeders on highways. I have been suffering with this dilemma every time I am on the left lane and driving 10 kms above the posted speed limit and some one is already tailgating! Do I have to move to right lane right away? When I don't think I should move over to rith because then I will have to move to the left immediately. I think, I am passing slower vehicles on right but no matter how fast I am, there is always one coming way faster than you. If I have good enough room to keep my speed and be on righ lane, I move over most of the time. If I did not have enough room to be on left, I stay on right. My problem is if I move to the right without ensuring I have enough room, then I am stuck for a while before I can pass the slower vehicles and I have to drive on slower speed. But those impatient drivers have privilage to force me to the right? How am I causing danger to other drivers but not the speeders? I don't know how this law came in to effect and wish it will change soon. We have history of high speed causing many head on collusions and many deaths and this law is encouraging aggressive drivers/speeders. Does that mean, I can bully the drivers on left lane. Well, I want to pass!!! The driver on left would get ticked failing to keep right? Wow!!!
"Long live the speeder!"
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This might have been the statement I was thinking of a while back.
On the other side of the equation, our traffic court justice told me outright that if I ever ticketed a driver in the left lane at the speed limit for failing to keep right, she would refuse to convict. This is contrary to what the law requires but at that point my hands were tied. You only bang your head against the wall for so long before you stop because it hurts.
It still comes down to people are paid to do a job. Whether it is a Judge or a cop they are not paid to interpret the law to their own whim. The Judge should have been reported for failure to do her job.
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I Agree