British Columbia

Left-lane laws would be difficult to enforce: Kurtis Strelau

The B.C. government's expected crackdown on drivers who hog the left lane is drawing criticism of one experienced driving instructor.

Seasoned driving instructor says left-lane crackdown is a 'nice idea,' but difficult to enforce

The B.C. government said it will give police more power to ticket drives who drive in the left passing lane. (Annabelle M/Flickr)

The B.C. government's expected crackdown on drivers who hog the left lane is drawing criticism from one experienced driving instructor.

"Okay, we can put a law against it — how do we enforce it? How do you pluck these slow movers out of the left lane on a free flowing freeway," said Kurtis Strelau, the regional general manager for Young Drivers Canada.

Transportation Minister Todd Stone announced plans to pass legislation to give more power to police to ticket drivers who aren't using the lane to pass, saying data shows it's the cause of many collisions.

Strelau  who has been teaching driving for 25 years — said staying in the right lane is the "courteous" thing to do, but said it's often the other drivers that cause the collision.

"Their speed is what tees other people off, and people will do unsafe lane changes, zip into the HOV lane or back over the slow trying to get around them, or will tailgate," he said.

"When they get road rage, their eyes narrow, their nostrils flare and they're not seeing right, and they just make bad decisions."

To hear the full interview with Kurtis Strelau, click the audio labelled: Driving instructor Kurtis Strelau on left lane crackdown.