A driver on I-85 in Atlanta almost came to a standstill, obstructing traffic and getting into an accident.

Presumed Georgian and Atlanta commuter Emerson Bordeaux, who goes by @EmersonBordeaux on Instagram, shared frustrating dashcam footage from earlier last week (July 19, 2024) from I-85 showing a driver in a mid-2000s Toyota Rav-4 almost coming to a standstill so they could change lanes to presumably not miss their exit.

Check out the dashcam footage below.

As mentioned, the incident happened on I-85 just as traffic splits between I-85 and I-75 (exact location on Google Maps linked here.)

As the footage shows, Bordeaux is following this Rav4, keeping a safe distance between them.

Suddenly, the RAV4 driver signals left to change lanes except, instead of changing lanes properly at the traffic speed, he slows, almost coming to a complete stop.

This abrupt change in speed is not only dangerous for the RAV4 driver but for all vehicles in that immediate area.

The RAV4 driver manages to get across one lane but, according to the caption following their “successful” lane change, a driver approaching from the rear doesn’t anticipate the RAV4’s last-second lane change, resulting in some kind of accident.

The RAV4 driver gets hit off frame.

In the audio, we can hear a collision, followed by the sound of tires screeching, and that’s where the video ends.

“I love it here 😍 Our drivers stop in the middle of the highway to catch their exits, and get stuck in the process,” Bordeaux commented.

“A good driver sometimes misses their exit. A bad driver never misses the exit no matter what,” @Benji_fl00 humorously added.

“I never understand why some drivers feel the need to slow down to a near stop to switch lanes,” @Briand127 wondered.

“All these comments saying “you had a gap in the left lane you could’ve made” think you can go from 10mph to 60mph instantaneously…,” /u/KrownOfGold explained, defending Bordueax’s decision to lay on his horn instead of moving out of the way.

“…people are forgetting that this was happening to me in real-time, so by the time I knew he was committing to making that exit, necessitating a lane change on my behalf, the lane to my left was occupied again,” Bordeaux replied.

In Georgia, and most other US States, this is, at the very least, impeding the flow of traffic.

If that RAV4 was observed by an Atlanta Cop pulling an abhorrent lane change like that again, that driver might be subject to a fine up to $1,000 and three points on their license.

In many ways, it’s also a form of reckless driving.

Not only is this type of lane change against the vehicle code, but it’s also downright dangerous.

These types of lane changes only serve to increase the chances of getting into an accident with other drivers around you.

In this situation, it’s best to safely miss your exit and re-route once you’ve re-established your bearings.

Drivers today almost always use some kind of GPS, so there’s no excuse.

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