This Redditor thinks she changed lanes because her lane had a “slight slowdown.”
Presumed Virginia Resident and Redditor /u/Theaty submitted TeslaCam footage from her Tesla while she was driving the Hampton Roads Beltway in Chesapeake showing the surprising moment another driver caused a major collision, all thanks to a sudden, no look lane change.
Check out /u/Theaty’s TeslaCam footage below.
[OC] Why do people have to instantly switch lanes when they sense a slight slowdown on the left
byu/Theaty inIdiotsInCars
This accident happened on Interstate 64, aka the Hampton Roads Beltway, in Chesapeake, VA just before the George Washington Hwy exit (exact location on Google Maps linked here.)
As OP’s TeslaCam footage shows, this particular stretch of the HRB is just two lanes.
Up ahead we can see traffic begin to slow in the fast lane, probably in response to a caution, construction ahead sign that’s still flashing.
Knowing how the roads looked after the fact and to be fair, traffic wasn’t slowing down that much.
Keen eyes will notice first, one car quickly changes lane with a white car already in that lane quickly swerving out of the way to avoid potentially getting hit.
As if to foreshadow what would happen next, all of a sudden, a red compact car does the exact same thing, a simultaneous signal, lane change.
Unbeknownst to them, that white car is still there in their blind spot.
Taken off guard, the driver in the white car sees them changing lanes and yanks his wheel to the right, again, in order to avoid getting sideswiped.
This time, unfortunately, this causes them to drive into the freeway sound barrier wall, bounce off, and fishtail back and forth before regaining control in the closed off lane to their left.
The damage looks pretty bad; in addition to a demolished bumper, part of the hood, and fender, they’ve certainly damaged some steering components and possibly tweaked the frame, too.
For insurance purposes, it’s likely totaled.
Fortunately, the white car didn’t take out any other cars when it lost control, and it appears the severity of the crash didn’t look too, too bad.
You can see the red car responsible for the crash pull to the side of the road, to I assume check on the other driver, before eventually exchanging information.
“Two! Not one but two people changed lanes without looking right onto this guy!,” /u/notowmaybetonight points out.
“At least one stopped. I didn’t think anyone was going to stop,” /u/ImposterShop commented.
“None of them should have been in the left lane in the first place given the right lane was clear…,” /u/TheGreatNizzo42 replies.
To point out the obvious and left lane aside, a safe lane change, even if rushed, would’ve prevented this.
A proper lane change involves checking your rear and side view mirrors to make sure it’s clear, signaling well before the lane change to make your intentions known, and then looking over your shoulder to verify no car is in your blind spot before carrying out the lane change.
Those two cars likely hastily checked their side view mirror and just sent it.
Now, both cars have a huge insurance headache to deal with, not to mention it could’ve ended up a lot worse (a harder crash with injuries or triggering a multi-car collision.)
Saving hundredths of a second off your drive is not worth changing lanes the right way.
