Overland Park police show crash video as a warning to look before changing lanes
Don’t be that driver.
That’s the message Overland Park Police Chief Frank Donchez conveyed when he tweeted out traffic camera video of a crash caused by an unsafe lane change.
The video shows a car nearly sideswiping an SUV during Monday evening’s rush hour on westbound Interstate 435 at the exit to U.S. 69 in Overland Park. The driver of the car was making an unsafe lane change.
That near-collision had a cascading effect. A driver behind the two vehicles hit the brakes, losing control, the video shows. That car swerved and then careened across lanes of traffic, striking an SUV that was not involved in the original near-miss.
The chief “released the video this morning to alert drivers to be aware when they are changing lanes,” said Officer John Lacy, a spokesman for the Overland Park Police Department.
Drivers need to do everything possible to make sure the lane is clear before attempting to change lanes, including looking in side mirrors and over their shoulders, Lacy said.
The Kansas Highway Patrol investigated the crash.
