Let me inconvenience thousands of other commuters, stop traffic, and eventually start a traffic ripple so I can sneak into an HOV/HOT lane because I’m very important and you’re not.
A truly frustrating piece of traffic cam footage showing entitled America at its best hit the internet earlier today (June 19,2020.) According to Fire and EMS news expert in the DC area, Dave Statter, and a video he shared on Twitter, a Lexus driver stopped and drove across several lanes of traffic in the opposite direction on I-395 near the Pentagon, all so they could sneak into the adjacent HOV/HOT lane to avoid traffic up ahead.
Check out the privileged driver risking life and limb ahead.
Did the driver of this vehicle endanger everyone on I-395 because they
— Dave Statter (@STATter911) June 19, 2020
a. have a true emergency & couldn't sit in the main lanes backup?
b. are lost?
c. are drunk?
d. want to keep alive the DC area stereotype of being more important than anyone else?@WTOPtraffic @DildineWTOP pic.twitter.com/JjrK64yNdV
This looks a lot like the portion of I-395 near the Pentagon heading towards DC where the lanes split with the left exiting into HOV/HOT lanes. Here’s what location looks like on Google Maps. That area highlighted in green is open.
In the video we can see the Lexus overshoot the entrance by a couple of feet. Once you’ve missed your exit or HOV entrance, you definitely can’t stop and try to undo your mistake. What normal people do is take the “L,” and keep driving, either exiting as soon as possible to double back or continue on to another HOV/HOT entrance.
This is a moving violation for stopping when you shouldn’t, driving in the wrong direction, and for pulling off an unsafe maneuver.
Thankfully, the other drivers were aware and courteous enough to let this imbecile through. This situation could’ve turned real ugly if another driver was speeding on by, not paying attention at the circus act unfolding in front of him.
Hopefully local D.C. police find, identify, and properly ticket this driver for their dangerous driving.
Missing your entrance or exit is a part of driving. Several DMV handbooks even give advice of what to do. That being said, even if you miss your exit multiple times and are at your wits end, tough luck. It’s not worth endangering your life or the lives of others because you think driving laws don’t apply to you.
