Photo: u/Sylon00 via Reddit
Just because a car is fast doesn’t mean it can get away from every bad situation that may arise. Laws of physics still apply, potentially turning a tiny mistake into a huge mess. This is one lesson a young Floridian driver learned the hard way after trying to pass a semi-truck using the merge lane.
Driving is not like chess, but a little planning ahead doesn’t hurt if you want to stay on top of dangerous situations. Some of those situations are quite predictable, at least for most people. This makes you wonder what on Earth was in the head of some drivers behaving erratically on the road. This Floridian driver, in particular, should’ve known better than passing a semi-truck in the merge lane.
The video posted on the r/IdiotsInCars sub-Reddit (not a surprise) comes from the onboard camera of a car merging into a highway behind a semi-truck. After they clear the lane, a black Audi A5 emerges from behind. Instead of doing the same or waiting for their turn, the driver decides they can pass the semi using the merge lane. As you can imagine, it was a bad idea because the lane ended before they could clear the semi. The Audi stood no chance when caught between the trailer and the concrete barrier.
Using the GPS coordinates in the video, we found this happened on I-75 just south of Tampa, Florida. It’s not clear whether the Audi driver just entered the interstate or they wanted to use the lane for a quick pass in the heavy traffic. Either way, the result should’ve been predictable, even for a young and inexperienced driver. The traffic in the left lane wouldn’t have allowed the truck driver to give the A5 more room anyway. And that assumes they could see the Audi in the rearview mirror, which is a big if.
Fortunately, the Audi driver was OK, as reported by the user who posted the video. However, their ego was probably severely injured. The semi also stopped further down the road. Still, without a usable hard shoulder on this stretch of the highway, the situation could’ve gotten much worse had anyone attempted to stop. This is why the person who posted the video avoided stopping his car and getting off to assist the ill-fated driver.
The video posted on the r/IdiotsInCars sub-Reddit (not a surprise) comes from the onboard camera of a car merging into a highway behind a semi-truck. After they clear the lane, a black Audi A5 emerges from behind. Instead of doing the same or waiting for their turn, the driver decides they can pass the semi using the merge lane. As you can imagine, it was a bad idea because the lane ended before they could clear the semi. The Audi stood no chance when caught between the trailer and the concrete barrier.
Using the GPS coordinates in the video, we found this happened on I-75 just south of Tampa, Florida. It’s not clear whether the Audi driver just entered the interstate or they wanted to use the lane for a quick pass in the heavy traffic. Either way, the result should’ve been predictable, even for a young and inexperienced driver. The traffic in the left lane wouldn’t have allowed the truck driver to give the A5 more room anyway. And that assumes they could see the Audi in the rearview mirror, which is a big if.
Fortunately, the Audi driver was OK, as reported by the user who posted the video. However, their ego was probably severely injured. The semi also stopped further down the road. Still, without a usable hard shoulder on this stretch of the highway, the situation could’ve gotten much worse had anyone attempted to stop. This is why the person who posted the video avoided stopping his car and getting off to assist the ill-fated driver.
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