A Virginia driver knew rush-hour traffic was about to slow down, so they didn’t expect a car coming up fast from behind. With little room left to stop, the other driver lost control.
The close call happened on northbound Route 28 near Dulles, Virginia. On October 29, 2026, the dashcam owner shared the footage on Reddit under the title “I just want to get home.”
Around 5 p.m. on most weekdays, traffic backs up along that stretch of highway. The person recording knew the pattern and left plenty of space between their vehicle and the cars ahead. Other drivers seemed less prepared for the slowdown.
A Lexus had already caught the driver’s attention by changing lanes quickly. Then an older Honda Civic came rushing up from behind. As traffic slowed, the Civic driver struggled to stop, turning an ordinary commute into a close call.
Coming In Hot
[OC] I just want to get home
by
u/pewpewpewpee in
IdiotsInCars
According to the dashcam owner, the Lexus IS F was cutting across lanes at an estimated 90 mph. Its modified exhaust made the car especially loud.
As the Lexus moved through traffic, the Honda approached from behind.
At the time, the dashcam vehicle was traveling between 65 and 70 mph. The Civic came up quickly as cars ahead began to slow.
With little room to stop, the Honda driver appeared to brake and lose control.
One Reddit commenter noticed something unusual about the Civic; it appeared to have a temporary spare tire mounted on a rear wheel.
That raised questions about whether the tire had affected the car’s ability to stop. Even the dashcam owner hadn’t noticed it until someone pointed it out.
Look Again
The Honda wasn’t the only vehicle that caught viewers’ attention.
Some people watching the recording questioned whether a white SUV in the left lane had caused the slowdown by suddenly braking.
According to the dashcam owner, nothing unusual happened during the backup. Traffic regularly slows at that location during the evening commute, which was why the driver had already left extra space.
But another motorist made a move that viewers nearly missed.
In the original Reddit discussion, the person who recorded the footage pointed out a driver using the shoulder to get around traffic.
One commenter initially thought the motorist might have moved over to avoid being rear-ended. That would have explained why the driver left the travel lane as vehicles slowed.
After watching more closely, however, the viewer noticed something that changed their interpretation.
Instead of remaining on the shoulder, the motorist accelerated past the slowing cars. What the commenter first took for an effort to avoid a crash looked more like an attempt to get around the backup.