Video about left lane drivers sparks conversation in Mississauga, Brampton and beyond

Mississauga | Brampton | Ontario | Police | Traffic |

By

Published November 15, 2022 at 9:07 am

left lane drivers

Ontario Provincial Police have a simple message for “left laners” — if it is safe, move to the right when a vehicle approaches from behind.

OPP Sgt. Kerry Schmidt posted a video about one of his “pet peeves” those drivers who hang out in the left lane on the highway.

“I am guessing it might be one of your pet peeves as well if you do any amount of driving on multi-lane highways,” Schmidt says in the video.

The video had garnered nearly 500 comments on Twitter and over 70 on a Mississauga Reddit thread. So, it seems like this is something on people’s minds, particularly commuters that travel through Mississauga’s major highways.

“The more I drive the more it seems left lanes are the slow lanes and farthest right lanes go the quickest,” one person wrote on Reddit. “You can watch these people merge on to the highways and go straight to the left lanes.”

Others complained transport trucks seem to be sticking to the left lanes.

“The 401 is the world’s busiest highway by volume,” another person wrote. “Lately I’ve seen a lot more transport trucks even use the left lane. Once in a blue moon I’ll report it to the trucking company. It’s beyond infuriating.”

Schmidt describes driving on Hwy. 400 and seeing traffic bunching around a driver in the left lane who didn’t move over even though there were plenty of opportunities to do so.

“There are signs all over the highway that say ‘Keep the left lane open for passing’, we always encourage drivers to pass on the left and drive on the right,” Schmidt adds.

He says the backing up of vehicles can lead to frustration and road rage.

“Now, it’s not illegal to pass on any of the through lanes,” Schmidt says. “But it is courteous to move to the right when you are being overtaken.”

He ends the video by asking drivers for their thoughts on this situation and how they handle it.

insauga's Editorial Standards and Policies advertising