Iowa DOT Sends Merging Reminder With Gnarly Crash Video

It's a good idea to check your mirrors before changing lanes, as one Iowa driver was recently reminded.

There are a lot of interstate driving rules that people just ignore. Besides the speed limit, there's also the fact that on-ramps are supposed to be used to get you up to interstate speed, not your last chance to dawdle at 40 mph.

Planning to change lanes? For the love of God, signal. But also always check your side and rearview mirrors. Or you could end up like one driver on I-380.

In a video tweeted by Iowa DOT, a driver tries to move into the left lane to make room for a Highway Helper, the Iowa DOT cars that help stranded drivers. As the truck driver is trying to move over, the truck clips the nose of a black pickup truck and that car, the truck with the trailer, the HIghway Helper, and the car that the Highway Helper was trying to assist all get involved and shoved around. So by the time it's all said and done, 3 cars & one truck and trailer are involved, and there's crap all over both lanes of that side of the interstate.

Watch for yourself:

The driver of the white truck and trailer was right about one thing. Iowa law does say you need to move over a lane if there's a stalled-out car that's flashing it's lights.

The Iowa DOT used the incident as a reminder to drivers to pay attention to your surroundings. Remember you have blind spots in your car too.