If you’ve ever driven through Columbus during rush hour, you’ve probably noticed the SmartLane on I-670: that extra shoulder lane that lights up green when traffic gets heavy and shuts down with a red X the rest of the time. It’s a clever bit of engineering, turning an emergency shoulder into a functional traffic lane without the state having to pour a single extra foot of pavement. Most days, it does exactly what it’s supposed to do.
This week, though, it did something else entirely, and it involved a driver who apparently decided the red X was more of a suggestion than a rule.
Ohio Department of Transportation cameras caught the whole thing on video, reported The Columbus Dispatch. An SUV had pulled into the closed SmartLane with someone standing outside the vehicle, presumably dealing with some kind of car trouble. That part alone isn’t unusual; shoulders exist for breakdowns. What happened next is the part that makes your stomach drop. A truck came down the closed lane, saw the SUV, and merged out of the way like a normal, sane human being. Then a second vehicle came through, didn’t slow down, and plowed straight into the parked SUV. The person standing outside had to leap onto the median wall to keep from getting hit themselves.
I’ve watched a lot of dashcam and traffic camera footage over the years, and there’s a particular kind of dread that sets in watching someone jump for their life on the shoulder of an interstate. It’s the automotive equivalent of watching someone almost miss a step on the stairs, except the stakes are a lot higher than a stubbed toe.
Why the SmartLane Was Closed in the First Place
Here’s the thing people seem to keep missing about ODOT’s SmartLane program: it’s not a bonus lane that’s occasionally inconvenient to use. It’s fundamentally an emergency breakdown shoulder first, and a traffic lane second. ODOT press secretary Matt Bruning made that point clearly after this latest incident, explaining that the lane only opens when traffic conditions actually call for it, and only after crews have swept it clear of any stalled vehicles or debris. When it’s closed, that’s not a bureaucratic technicality.
It means the lane hasn’t been cleared, and there’s a real chance something, or someone, is sitting in it.
The Signage Isn’t Exactly Subtle
The SmartLane on I-670 is first and foremost an emergency breakdown shoulder and only opened when traffic conditions warrant it and only after it has been cleared of any vehicles or debris. There are MULTIPLE signs showing when it is open and when it is closed. Pay attention! pic.twitter.com/ZRlD9vEifY
— Matt Bruning (@mbruning81) August 3, 2026
ODOT didn’t leave this up to guesswork either. There are multiple signs along the route alerting drivers to whether the SmartLane is open or closed at any given moment, with the setup originally designed around a series of electronic displays spaced along the corridor. A green arrow means go ahead and use it.
The man who posted footage of the crash on X, Matt Bruning, stated: “The SmartLane on I-670 is first and foremost an emergency breakdown shoulder and only opened when traffic conditions warrant it and only after it has been cleared of any vehicles or debris. There are MULTIPLE signs showing when it is open and when it is closed. Pay attention!”
A red X means stay out. It’s about as close to foolproof as highway signage gets, which makes moments like this one all the more baffling. I get that drivers are juggling a lot of visual information at seventy-plus miles per hour, but this isn’t a case of a sign being tucked behind a tree branch somewhere.
A Reminder Worth Repeating for Anyone Behind the Wheel
What strikes me most about this video is how close it came to being a genuinely tragic story instead of a cautionary one. The truck driver who saw the obstruction and merged safely did exactly what you’d hope every driver would do.
The second driver didn’t, and it very nearly cost someone their life on the side of the road. If there’s a practical takeaway here, it’s a simple one: those closed-lane markers on managed shoulders like the SmartLane exist because someone, somewhere, might already be standing in that lane.