Audio By Carbonatix

Passing on a highway with multiple lanes? No big deal. Passing on a two-way road across a broken line, on the other hand, can be an extremely dangerous affair if you have no patience. And if you needed any reminder of that, this dash cam footage of an ill-fated passing attempt and the crash that followed will set the record straight. 

This truck’s dash cam video shows just how quickly a blind pass or haphazard overtake can result in a nasty crash

Dash cams catch a whole lot of terrifying, stupid, and even unbelievable things on public roads. But this one might tick all three boxes. A truck was cruising in the right lane, a camera capturing its every move. From the front-facing view of the camera, everything looked like business as usual. That is, until a small, silver sedan attempted to overtake the camera vehicle. 

Done properly, a pass on a two-way road isn’t a big deal. Motorists do it every day. This “pass,” however, was far from done properly. The little silver sedan attempted to pass the camera truck by crossing into oncoming traffic. At first, the sedan was lucky; a commercial van saw it coming and moved out of its path.

However, the car made contact with the truck as the dash cam watched the car lose control. Yet another vehicle pulled out of its way. But it was too late. The little sedan slammed into an oncoming truck, bringing the pass attempt to a violent end. 

So what can you do to avoid being the star of a cautionary video like this one? There’s one easy, straightforward method. Simply be patient. The average semi-truck in the United States is around 72 feet long. In a sensible sedan with 200 or so horsepower, it takes time to overtake a truck and trailer, especially if that vehicle is moving at the speed limit or faster.

Granted, that passing line is there for a reason. However, seeing around a full-size truck can be tricky. Worse yet, bends in the road or hills might turn a would-be simple pass into a blind overtake and a crash waiting to happen. Take your time. If you must pass, find a straight, wide-open stretch where passing is permitted. Then commit to your overtake. Check out the dash cam video of the failed overtake below!