A driver took to Reddit to share dramatic dashcam footage after recording a pickup truck "rolling coal" all the way into the highway median.
The video shows a pickup truck abruptly and repeatedly braking in an apparent attempt at rolling coal until ultimately crashing into a barrier between an exit ramp and the highway.
This practice, in which large clouds of black exhaust are released from trucks that have been modified specifically to produce excessive pollution from their tailpipes, is not uncommon.
It is often observed among truck drivers who are either looking to showboat on the road or simply inconvenience other drivers. Rolling coal can also be an attempt to counter sustainable practices and demean those who partake in them, with electric vehicle drivers a frequent target.
In order to roll coal, drivers illegally alter their trucks to produce diesel fumes 40 to 100 times more potent than what is legally acceptable for standard vehicles, according to the Sierra Club.
Air pollution has not only been found to hurt our lungs, but it has also been linked to many dire health risks, such as heart disease, cancer, dementia, and Alzheimer's disease.
In pumping excessive amounts of pollutants into the air, coal-rollers both decimate our air quality and create dangerously low levels of visibility for other nearby drivers. This unnecessary hazard puts lives at risk — not just the distracted coal-roller.
"Performance modifications" like tampering with a car's emissions control technology are in violation of the Clean Air Act, according to the Environmental Protection Act. But, as FindLaw explained, "enforcing that law is difficult because offenders must be caught red-handed."
And state laws are even murkier.
"Only a few states expressly forbid coal rolling, which could leave the impression that most states allow it," FindLaw said. "But most states also have laws that prohibit drivers from obstructing roadways with excessive exhaust fumes, leaving police officers to make judgment calls."
Responses to the original dashcam video shared to Reddit were quick to roll in.
"Sucks to suck coal roller," one user wrote.
Many responses concluded that the driver justly suffered the consequences of their actions by drifting into the barrier.
"Couldn't have happened to a more deserving person," wrote one user.
"I was not disappointed," said another. "Those things should be illegal."
In June, video from a Tesla driver who was blocked by three pickup trucks rolling coal was shared on Twitter, with the EV driver writing: "This should be illegal."
Tailgater drops his vape pen.
byu/Zakkattack86 inIdiotsInCars
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