Cadillac Escalade Takes Out Mercedes-Benz On The Highway: Video
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Situational awareness is really important when navigating traffic on the freeway. Unfortunately, it looks like the drivers behind the wheel of the Cadillac Escalade and Mercedes-Benz in the following brief clip have some catching up to do.
Recently posted to social media, the video is just a few seconds long and opens on a desert road. The conditions are clear and sunny, with a bright, blue sky above, and dry, clean pavement below. The video appears to be shot from the dash cam of a nearby motorist, who sees the entire incident play out right before them – and is even forced to play a part.
Traffic can be seen ahead of the camera video moving at a decent pace. All three lanes are clogged with cars and trucks.
As the video gets underway, we see a black Mercedes two-door drift from the middle lane over towards the leftmost lane. It doesn’t look as though the driver is signaling, but simply moves slowly to the left.
Suddenly, we see a black Cadillac Escalade quickly approaching in the fast lane. It doesn’t appear as though the Cadillac Escalade driver is aware of the Mercedes’ maneuver from the middle lane, as the former doesn’t even slow down or tap the brakes.
As we can see from the video, the passenger’s side front end of the Cadillac Escalade slams into the driver’s side rear quarter of the Mercedes. The collision crumples the front of the SUV and the rear end of the two-door Merc, causing the former to lose a wheel and the latter to spin out across all three lanes.
The Cadillac Escalade wheel continues to roll down the highway, while Mercedes rolls back into traffic, right in front of the camera vehicle. Luckily, the camera vehicle is quick to react, slamming on the brakes and stopping before also colliding with the Mercedes.
Keep your eyes open out there, folks.
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Just one more case of two totally unaware drivers. The MB driver is clueless and inconsiderate of anyone else on the road. Hey, that little stick on the left side of your steering wheel is for indicating which lane you plan to move to. The moron must not be aware of that.
Just as bad is the moron in the Escalade plowing down the road at a much higher rate of speed than the other drivers. Where in the heck do they plan to go as they are driving faster than anyone else. Leaves me to believe that the Escalade driver would have passed the Benz and then weaved in/out of the traffic to get ahead.
I’m sure the Escalade driver was pre-occupied with the dash screen or cell phone in hand and couldn’t be bothered with what traffic was doing. Really makes a person want to stop driving with all these idiots in huge SUV’s and trucks not paying attention.
I don’t know how much I can fault the Escalade driver from just that video. True he was going faster than any other cars that we could see, but he was in the passing Lane where that is to be expected, as you’re going to have to go faster than the people to the right of you in order to pass them. Changing lanes without using a turn signal, or using your mirror to first judge the speed of oncoming traffic, so that you can either accelerate or at least make sure that they have enough room to brake, is going to cause an accident nine times out of 10, just like it did in this video.
A lot of folks are quick to say the Escalade driver was going too fast. How fast was he going? NO one can answer that. Just because he was passing other cars does not mean he was speeding.
You’re wrong. Look at the traffic, the escalade is traveling the same speed as other cars, the benz is driving considerably slower.
You’re still supposed to have eyes on the road and be able to stop or slow down as the benz was in the lane.
Actually, at the Mercedes slow rate of speed it was more so his fault in the crash. At the same time the Escalade, I don’t think he was aware of the car approaching or merging into his lane.
Jonathon D: Sorry, but it’s not wrong. Don’t just look at the MB and then the slade. Look at the car in front (far left lane) and had the MB not moved into the left lane when they did, the Slade would have either needed to make quick lane changes or slam on the brakes in order to NOT hit the vehicle ahead of it. Not only that, but the car taking the video was moving just a little less than that front left lane car.
Yes, the MB was at fault for not signaling and/or avoiding the lane change when the Slade was coming up that fast. However, the Slade driver was going way faster than the rest of the traffic. Proof of this is when it hits the D/S rear of MB, thrusting the Benz forward and to the right as the Slade projected forward, still at a high rate of speed. Depending on the state would depend on who or if both got a ticket. But in IL where I used to be a police officer, the Slade would have been cited for failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident. The Benz driver would have been cited for improper lane change without signal.
Should’ve used Super Cruise!
I blame it on the Benz. Should have looked closer and seen how fast the Caddy was closing in on him.
I believe the Benz was using iPhone text/calls- is NOT paying attention the road got hit his car.. Sloppy/careless driver lookout!!
The Benz was clearly the idiot and the offender here. Look before changing lanes. Oh yeah, use you signal too.
While the MB driver should have been more aware of their surroundings and is partially to blame, the Cadillac driver will be found at fault here and they had more than enough time to react to this situation. I put more blame on the Cadillac driver.
Benz is at fault. Signal or no signal changing lanes doesn’t give you ‘’right of way’’. Benz also didn’t make ‘’full cross over’’ into the new lane at the point of impact. Unsafe lane change with failure to signal.
Bingo! What people don’t realize is look at the video closely the MB was more than half way in the other lane when the Caddie hit it. The MB also had the signal light on. Was the MB driver right for making such a close lane change. No they were not, but the Caddie did have time to slow down safely. They didn’t even brake at all. They hit the MB head on form behind which tells me they were not paying attention. Ticket 🎫 for Caddie not MB. Hope everyone was okay in this accident.
If you look closely the MB hits their brakes just before the collision. They didn’t mean to go into the left lane. They drifted in because they were distracted….maybe phone use. 100% MB’s fault.
People just don’t pay attention anymore to busy doing what who the hell knows always in a hurry to go no where this accident could have easily become a fatality!!! Pay attention people when on the road !!! Be nice and share the road !!!
I watched it a few times, used to be an insurance adjuster. Depending on the state blame will be assigned to the Benz 100% or 25% Caddy, 75% Benz. What’s messed up here is it seems the Benz driver knew the Caddy was coming, hence the slow lane change. You can even see the Benz driver hit the brakes HARD right before impact. Caddy hits the brakes at about the same time. The caddy was also not driving any faster than the vehicles ahead of it. Probably a bit slower. Since the speed limit is unknown no determination on speed can really be made here. The trucks were causing a small bottleneck and it’s possible everyone there was going below the speed limit compared to the left lane. Allot of factors. The Benz slamming on the brakes right before impact? He/She wanted that hit and we’d push hard to make him liable.
Looks to me like neither driver was paying attention to their driving. The Benz, could have been texting, adjusting the radio, or something, as a distraction. The Caddy, Should have been slowing, If, the driver had noticed the Benz crossing lanes. Hard to say Why the Benz, hit the brake. Caddy didn’t brake until it had made impact, or at the moment of impact. I agree with the 25% Caddy & 75% Benz, fault.
Yes, neither driver was paying attention. But that is always the CASE EVERYWHERE!!!!! Slow down, do the speed limit, be respectful of other driver. You never know which car is full of gas, you may end up going to he’ll from the explosion!!!!!!!!
I think the Caddy driver wasn’t paying attention.
There was plenty of time for him/her to see what the Benz was intending & slow down to let the Benz in, but instead they decided to just plow into the back of the M-B.
Only a complete IDIOT would blame the Cadillac for that accident!! So if the shoe fits……go on ahead and wear it bruh!!!
I think a more likely scenario is that those two cars had been screwing with each other for miles and they were both making more and more provocative road-rage maneuvers AT each other. So basically 2 as* holes playing “chicken” around a bunch of other people.
What happened to all the built in safety features? Were they even activated on either vehicle? Of course these are the same safety features I’ve complained about not available on my 2022 2LT Corvette but have on my wife’s Hyundai Santa Fe. Tomg
That’s an older Mercedes, doubt it has any active safety features like lane keep assist. The Escalade, on the other hand, is a current model. Maybe the owner turned off the safety features, or they might have potentially malfunctioned. Nobody knows except for the person driving.
Benz driver, is selfish and Caddy maybe looking at his phone, instead of the road?
Hard to believe it sheared off Caddy RF wheel
I could be wrong but it almost looks like it is just a tire rolling down the road. The tire blew out and came off the rim.
MB driver was likely on the phone or playing with some onboard toy. It looked he was drifting aimlessly. Caddy driver probably thought the other guy would correct but the dumb$hit in the Benz was clueless.
I blame the trucks. Typical western road block. They need to keep those slow moving land whales in the right lane just like in the EU. If the lanes were open drivers wouldn’t be shifting lanes alll the time to dodge them.
In that video, there was a car in front of the Benz where the semi was in front of that car so that is not the case here.
Benz driver is at fault “all day long”. Got what he deserved! Probably should have “signaled” his intended maneuver?
I agree with Mike. The Escalade driver was following too close and not paying attention even after he hit the Mercedes he didn’t even slow down! That kind of driving is totally unacceptable.
Following too close? There’s like a 15-car gap between them and the vehicle ahead, until the Mercedes cuts over and brakes right in front of them. Looks to me like either a road rage incident or a failed insurance fraud job.
Two possibilities with the Mercedes driver: he/she is one of those entitled twits that drives like no one else is on the road. “I’m going to change lanes, and anyone else will just have to accommodate me. Cause I’m, like, special.” Second possibility is the twit was texting or something and didn’t even realize he/she was drifting out of his/her lane. One thing another commenter said that I disagree with: Mercedes driver may have lightly tapped his brakes right before collision, but definitely did not “hit the brakes hard.” He/she didn’t visibly slow.
Cadillac driver possibly also texting or otherwise distracted, aware enough to stay in his lane but no situational awareness beyond that. He had all the time necessary to slow or swerve and prevent hitting the Mercedes idiot coming into his lane. But apparently was totally unaware of the incursion.
After collision, Mercedes driver must have just shat himself/herself and froze up, absolutely has no control over vehicle. My guess, Mercedes driver is a 60 year old female who has been pampered and catered to all her life.
On the other hand, Mr./Ms Cadillac maintains an absolutely straight course down the left shoulder, gradually slowing. Not particularly easy when missing a front wheel. Mature but busy and preoccupied businessman.
75% Mercedes 25% Cadillac
100% MB is an inconsiderate turd.
My opinion, he/she saw the big ass Caddy speeding and just thought, let me just ease over. I feel is if the Caddy noticed but was certain that this MB wouldn’t commit. Hence MB hitting his brakes after CADDY didn’t slow down.
Mike W: I’m not against what you said as I feel most of it is correct. However, the Slade continued straight forward not due to being a good driver (that is obviously not the case just due to how they drove and didn’t avoid the Benz). No, the Slade projected straight ahead because of the massive speed and thus momentum you get with 7,000 lbs. Anyone on here who says the Slade wasn’t going way too fast doesn’t have a grip on driving and the dynamics with it.
Your typical Mercedes driver and typical Caddie driver both applying their 70 IQ every time they go on the road.
I vote Benz at fault. Not signaling used to be a bmw habit yet in today’s “Of course you see me” world the habit’s all around. I drive Benz too. Not an SLK, tho.