It’s astonishing how many motorists don’t realize that a highway merge lane is designed to provide ample space to get up to speed before joining traffic, and that doing so is perfectly safe. The driver of one Ford F-150 failed to properly use a merge lane to match the speed of traffic, and instead chose to slice in where they saw fit right into the path of a tractor trailer, resulting in a dramatic crash.
The video was captured from the first of two semi trucks that ended up striking the Ford F-150 as its driver merged in a questionable manner. The pickup isn’t up to speed and decides to jump into the lane directly in front of the semi truck and immediately gets punted. It’s a scary wreck, as the F-150 goes sideways and gets its front end smashed under the trailer of a second semi-truck traveling in the lane to their right.
Then, the pickup is struck by the trailer’s rear wheels and sent spinning the other way, slamming into a guard rail before pirouetting back into traffic. The cammer attempts to slow his tractor trailer down, but with all that weight behind it, it’s difficult to rein it in, striking the F-150 again.
The dashcam video’s voiceover seems to be delivered from the perspective of the F-150 driver. The narration indicates that the F-150 driver acquired the dashcam footage from the insurance company, and states that the driver of the tractor trailer didn’t let them join the flow of fast-moving traffic on the highway. The narration claims that the F-150 had the right of way and that the semi should have let them over – although it’s not clear if they’re who they say they are, or if the voiceover was added later as a tongue-in-cheek way to mock the actual driver.
It’s probably wise to remember that heavy trucks can’t stop as fast as smaller, more nimble vehicles. That was a painful lesson that a Ford Focus had to learn when it tangled with a fully loaded Ford Super Duty tow truck.
Comments
It’s hard to believe the stupidity of people using on ramps. They believe they have the right of way…. You Don’t. You’re supposed to yield the right of way to the traffic on the highway. I see this all the time. On ramp traffic needs to speed up and go in front of the highway traffic or slow and merge in behind.
Dumb dumb dumb……….
F150 driver needs to go back to Driver’s Ed…or court-ordered driving school.
I find that drivers generally are very poor mergers. Sometimes because they think they have the right of way, sometimes they just think they have to beat the guy next to them. On ramps typically have “yield” signs, so there really should not be a question of who has the right of way. Another problem I see with people using on ramps is a failure to get up to speed before moving into the travel lane, which causes a lot of problems.
‘the F-150 had the right of way’? NEGATIVE!!
Ditto, Ditto & double Ditto!