“The beef is unmatched.”
It’s the kind of highway justice you sometimes long for. And it always involves the one guy or gal we’ve all seen. They’re the self-appointed ruler of the roadway, camping in the fast lane, speeding up when someone goes to pass, and using the semi in the slow lane as their blocking shield.
It’s infuriating, until it’s not.
Recently, TikTok creator Julia (@Julia.inbeautyy) captured one of those wild moments on a California highway and posted it for all the world to see.
According to the TikTok’s caption, “The driver in the Odyssey would not let anyone pass. Whenever we or other cars tried, he sped up so we couldn’t. Once we or other vehicles fell back behind him, he would brake-check.”
It’s worth noting that brake-checking is illegal in most states and widely considered a dangerous driving practice, as it can cause sudden rear-end collisions at highway speeds.
The caption is helpful since the video itself begins mid-incident: the view shows the rear of a white Audi SUV in the passing lane.
Then suddenly, the Audi moves to pass on the right, and a white Honda Odyssey is revealed. The in-screen caption gives a little more context: “Odyssey is refusing to let anyone pass and has been holding up traffic for 100 miles.”
One hundred miles is easily over an hour of being road-bullied by someone driving a “family-friendly” vehicle.
Viewers also hear the unmistakable sound of Julia and her friends cheering the Audi to victory. They can be heard laughing and shouting, “Yeahhhh, oh yeah!”
But it’s not over: the van then tries to pass to the right of the Audi, and the Audi swerves in front of it, fully blocking the van from jumping in front. Simultaneously, in the audio of the video, the driver of the car filming can be heard exclaiming, “That’s what he did to me!”
Then they celebrate the brake-check the Audi delivers to the Odyssey. “Ohhh [expletive],” someone yells.
The scene ends with the van finally getting into the right lane and pacing, but not passing, the Audi. Faintly in the distance, it sounds like a semi truck blows its horn in celebration or support.
Dangerous? Absolutely.
Satisfying to watch at a safe distance? Definitely.
In the comments, the spontaneous celebration was in full force. Multiple users admitted to enjoying the vicarious thrill of watching road rage gone right.
“Cheering on other people’s road rage from a safe distance is one of my favorite road pastimes,” said CoffinKayla.
Char,Chlo,Rach,Sky concurred: “I love highway drama. The beef is unmatched.”
Other commenters get a little diagnostic with their observations. “Proof that left lane campers only do it for attention/human interaction. For some people any attention is better than none,” said heybluebabyyy.
“He was trying to be the sheriff,” added Smackalot.
Still others blamed the vehicle itself, “It’s always a minivan,” claimed Andie-StL.
As fun as it is to watch the Odyssey get a comeuppance, is passing on the right a good driving strategy? According to the law firm Matthieson, Wickert, and Lehrer, most states have laws against passing on the right due to safety concerns. Many of those same states have laws requiring slower traffic to “keep right” and to leave the left lane open for faster drivers.
In fact, in many states, what the Odyssey’s driver was doing was illegal: “If a driver remains in the left lane on a four-lane highway and is not passing someone or making a left turn, he or she is breaking the law in a majority of states and can be ticketed,” the law firm adds.
The real problem arises when slower and faster drivers mix on the highway, with some of each using both lanes. This often leads faster vehicles to weave in and out of traffic, which increases the likelihood of an accident. However, one other thing to know about the left lane? “A growing number designate the far-left lane as a ‘passing only’ lane,” the firm reports, “making it illegal to travel in that lane other than to pass another vehicle.”
Are there state-specific exceptions to the “pass on the left” rule? Yes. Some states allow it in certain circumstances.
In California, the law allows passing on the right in limited situations, such as when the vehicle ahead is turning left, when the road has two or more clearly marked lanes in the same direction, or on one-way streets. It’s also allowed on divided highways where the right-hand lane is designated as a traffic lane. So in this instance, except for the brake check, it was a legal maneuver.
Bonus: It was satisfying to watch.
Motor1 reached out to Julia via email. We’ll update this if she provides us with more details.
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