I hope that an article about passing on the right might help at least some drivers understand the rules and help improve the driving community.
I have made a point of keeping to the right side of the lane to try and prevent vehicles from passing.
One day a driver fingered and yelled at me, yet the driver was attempting to do something illegal (even though many drivers perform this illegal act).
Give a driver enough room to go around something and he or she will do it rather than pause for a moment.
It doesn’t have to be much room, or sometimes even no room at all. I was once passed on the right by a monster truck that didn’t have enough pavement so the driver used the sidewalk, too.
How many times have you stopped for a stop sign, looked left, looked right and had another vehicle zoom past you on the right? Good thing you were turning left, isn’t it?
Now imagine if you were turning right and your signal light was burned out.
In general, British Columbia prohibits passing on the right. The obvious exception is when there is an unobstructed lane on the right of the vehicle being passed to use.
Otherwise, for safety’s sake, you wait your turn.
For more information on this topic, visit www.drivesmartbc.ca. Questions or comments are welcome by e-mail to comments@drivesmartbc.ca.
Tim Schewe is a retired RCMP constable with many years of traffic law enforcement experience. His column appears Friday.
