Why is Everyone in the Left Lane?

Your comment on Left Lane Hogs is text book on why speed Limits need to be set at the upper end of safe travel speeds, not to mention why automated enforcement has no business here particularly when proper speed limits are not in place. The tail gaters are symptoms and not causes. If the guy at the front wasn't afraid of the favourite activity of law enforcement, he might be more inclined to complete a pass sooner. BTW, the comment about slower drivers in the left lane has to disappear from our vocabularies. The left lane should always be referred to as the passing lane.

One thing that jumped out screaming at me was the 2400 : 34 ratio of tickets, for following too closely for light vehicles vs semis. That is a mere 1.4 % of the tickets.

Stats Can shows approximately 27 trucks per passenger car, with trucks driving far more kms than cars.

From my experiences, especially on single lane highways, (like hwy 5 Kamloops to Jasper) this would seem to lean towards enforcement leniency to the "professional" drivers.

Granted they may have better visibility, but in most cases, they seem to be just trying to intimidate and 'bully' their way past smaller vehicles. They far too often follow at an insanely close distance.

Just my $ 0.02

My Dad used to have me sit beside him and steer the family car when I was about 10 or 11 years old.  I recall that "Keep Right Except to Pass" was drilled into me.  Later, I got my driver's licence on my 16th birthday in 1952.  If I was critical of other people's driving, Dad would often say, "Be concerned with driving your own vehicle.  How the other person drives is a matter for the police, not you!"  He also taught me a lot about the physics of driving such as stopping diistances being directly related to any increase in vehicle weight but also, by the square of any increases in speed. Great lessons indeed and they've seen me through many miles/kilometers since in cars, trucks and motorcycles and some competitive driving.

But there is something else too.  It's called "Courtesy" and I swear that it's not in most drivers' vocabulary. If it could be legislated,  90% of the MVA would be superfluous. The increasing lack of courtesy, perhaps by the feeling of anonymity, has eroded our driving etiquette to a shockingly low level.  Perhaps ICBC putting your cell phone number on your licence plate might help?

The erosion continued however but mainly due to a lack of enforcement of the Keep Right laws.  In Washington State, you would get nailed but in BC, it only seemed to happen if you really ticked off an officer. When something isn't enforced it is ignored and becomes the acceptable norm.

Let's also remember the self-righteous who believe that they are some kind of honourable traffic speed "regulators".  The fact that they cause some very dangerous situations seems to be beyond their comprhension.

Yes, Todd Stone got excited about the left lane hoggers but it was due to him missing a few Swartz Bay ferries due to left lane slowpokes. Rather than just telling our police to start enforcing, he chose to add a whole bunch of wording about speed, speed limits etc. as mentioned above. But still, we haven't seen enforcement.  So what was the point?  More legislation to be ignored?

I'm older now. My reactions may not be as fast so I tend to pretty much follow the speed limits.  I still Keep Right but that to me is just basic courtesy regardless of the speed limits etc.  If I get a tailgater on a single lane road, I'll wave them on when there is a clear space. If it's on a multi-lane road and I'm on the right, I'll slow a bit and hope the idiot will pass.  Much rather have him/her in front of me than behind.  If that doesn't work, a jerked thumb backwards and a tap on the brakes usually will.  Perhaps the next will be a dash cam with embedded GPS readings.  Calling 911 doesn't work because my cell isn't on while driving.

But I do miss the motorcycle.  I used to be able to come alongside the moron at a stop and vent about their habits and parentage.