A semi-truck driver not paying attention didn’t notice the lanes were shifting to the right, causing him to accidentally drift into another lane.
Norfolk-area driver and Redditor /u/Natural_Permission96 shared head-shaking dashcam footage from I-64 from earlier in September (Sept 21, 2026) to the /r/IdiotsInCars subreddit, showing an inattentive semi-truck driver accidentally drifting into the wrong lane, nearly sandwiching OP into the side of a freeway barrier.
Check out the close call below with the original Reddit thread linked here.
The incident happened along I-64 just before Exit 274 onto Naval Station Bay Ave (Exact location on Google Maps linked here.)
As the dashcam shows, OP is in the passing lane of I-64.
To his right and in the middle lane is a semi-truck driver hauling a trailer.
Even though the lanes don’t merge, the shift in different colors of asphalt, as old merged with new, led this semi-truck driver to believe the lanes were suddenly merging.
The semi-truck driver drifts into the fast lane with OP in their blind spot.
OP literally had no place to go, with a traffic barrier attenuator to his left and the semi fast approaching on his right.
OP honks, and thankfully that gets the semi-truck driver’s attention, causing them to steer back into their original lane.
Thankfully, it was all just a close call, neither OP nor the semi-truck driver making any contact with the side of I-64 or each other.
“Doubt it was supposed to be a lane change. Looks like the lanes were shifting to the right and the driver just didn’t notice. A simple case of not paying attention,” /u/zytukin replied to one of the top comments, saying that they didn’t even signal before the supposed lane change.
“It looks like the road coloration made the semi driver think that the lanes were merging,” /u/_EGGxactlySix_ pointed out.
It seemed like an “oh s***, we’re merging” panic, which then changed into an “oh s***, we’re not merging, and there is a guy right there” panic.”
“I f***n hate being next to semis in tight spaces, and this shows exactly why,” /u/ChocolateMorsels shared.
In Norfolk, Virginia, drifting into the wrong lane is generally a failure to observe lanes under Va. Code § 46.2-804, carrying a $100 fine and typically 3 demerit points. (Virginia Law) If the driving was dangerous enough to endanger someone, it could potentially be charged more seriously as reckless or aggressive driving. (Virginia Law)
