This Honda Accord owner had the bright idea to pass on the right, using the emergency shoulder, only to cause a sideswipe accident.
Monmouth County-area driver and Redditor /u/Kelvin_Inman shared headshaking dashcam footage from US-9 from earlier in April (April 15, 2026) to the /r/IdiotsInCars subreddit showing the disastrous moment a driver in their Honda Accord decided to pass where two lanes turn into three, only to fail to yield to a car changing lanes in front of them, commiting to the pass by using the emergency shoulder, and cutting in too quick, causing a sideswipe accident.
Check out how it all played out below with the original Reddit thread linked here.
The incident happened along US-9 next to Adelphia Plaza and just before the intersection with Elton Adelphia Rd (exact location on Google Maps linked here.)
As the dashcam shows, OP is going northbound on US-9 towards the aforementioned intersection.
As shown in Google Maps below and on the dashcam, at this point, two lanes turn into three and then into four.
OP slips into, at the time, the rightmost lane.
It seems a driver in a maroon Honda Accord had the same idea, as we see them suddenly appearing on OP’s right in the emergency shoulder.
It tracks that the Accord driver also wanted in on the right lane, committed to the pass, and resorted to using the emergency shoulder to do so.
To make matters worse, when they tried to slip back in front of OP, they did so with no due care (like checking their mirrors), causing a sideswipe accident.
To be fair, though, and as pointed out by other commenters, OP did, rather suddenly, also slip into the right lane rather abruptly.
“You did rapidly jerk into that lane (not them cutting into you, it looks to me like you swerved into them, as they went into the lane as it opened, and you took your time, then jerked over). They did swerve to the right, but was that because they were trying to avoid you?” /u/Fireball857 asked.
Thankfully, they had the courtesy to realize their mistake and to stop, after which, at that point, I assume they exchanged information.
It probably wasn’t the smartest to stop in the middle of the road, though.
As it pertained to insurance, OP was found not to be entirely at fault, although the responding officer who eventually showed up did slap OP with a careless driving ticket.
“Insurance found in my favor, subrogation found in my favor (got my deductible back), and I got the careless driving ticket dismissed,” OP clarified.
In Freehold Township, New Jersey, passing another vehicle by driving on the emergency shoulder is illegal. Depending on the citation, it can result in a fine (often around $85 or more, plus court costs) and 4 points on your New Jersey driving record for improper passing. (legalclarity.org)
