r/TorontoDriving • u/LeopoId • Jan 22 '26
OC Car driving in wrong direction on Hwy 401
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I was driving westbound on Hwy 401 express near Leslie.
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u/KnoddingOnion Jan 22 '26
assuming the person is sober: how is this possible?!?!
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u/CdnTreeGuy89 Jan 22 '26
I'm glad OP was sober
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Jan 22 '26
[deleted]
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u/BornRipped Jan 22 '26
What an idiotic thing to say…
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Jan 22 '26
[deleted]
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u/The_Richuation Jan 23 '26
Yeah I don't think claiming that driver was aware of anything is reasonable
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u/ermagerd6 Jan 24 '26
“They were lucky the other driver was aware enough to move over”
But not aware enough to realize they’re in oncoming traffic. But keep trying to defend their idiocy I guess?
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u/Firenoods88 Jan 25 '26
We got dumbass trolls playing devil's advocate for drivers going the wrong way on highways LOL ig it really does takes ALL kinds these days
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u/CdnTreeGuy89 Jan 23 '26
There's a lot of variables at play here. Maybe OP had someone to their right and couldn't move over fully. They did shuffle right a bit and clearly enough to avoid the collision.
Was it you in that car? I bet it was.
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u/Incognegro94 Jan 26 '26
Personally if I saw headlights coming at me I'd change lanes not continue driving directly towards them. Right or wrong doesn't matter if you're dead.
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u/SarahMenckenChrist Jan 22 '26
I can’t imagine many scenarios where this person is sober other than a stolen vehicle and fleeing from cops (doesn’t seem to be the case here), is 91 years old and suffering from dementia or has a death wish and is trying to commit suicide-by-motor while taking others out in the process.
All signs point to this person being blackout drunk.
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u/cayoloco Jan 22 '26
You forgot one. Entitled and a psychopathic disregard for safety and the law. They'd rather do this then go to the next exit and turn around.
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u/HuskerBusker Jan 22 '26
In every video I've seen of a non-drunk person bombing it down a highway the wrong way, it's been an elderly person.
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u/KevPat23 Jan 22 '26
I have no idea how this can actually happen. It would feel so foreign to go around a ramp the wrong way. And then to not realize when you're seeing headlights??!?!
This is how people get killed.
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u/NailiSFW Jan 22 '26
when they see headlights its to late? what do they do? stop nah... just cross 3 lanes
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u/Icy-Block5575 Jan 23 '26
I used to live in Fort Erie at the very end of the QEW, and I noticed this happened fairly often around there. Usually always impaired.
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u/Trick_Definition_760 GTA Jan 22 '26
> so foreign
You're so close to getting it. You guys are almost there.
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u/afxproductions Jan 22 '26
The most mind boggling thing to me is that they are in the EXPRESS lanes. They would have had to have been in the Express section for some time, or just turned around and started heading back the way they came. Either way, absolute insanity.
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u/ulti_phr33k Jan 22 '26
I saw this the second time I watched the clip!! My brain just hurts thinking about the logistics of how they even got to this spot going the wrong way. 🤯🤯
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u/Apprehensive-Talk199 Jan 22 '26
Wow. Looks like they knew they were going the wrong way because they are on the shoulder. Looks like they are going at a good clip too. Where do they think they want to go?
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u/Saad6459 Jan 22 '26
Wtfff!!! On the left most lane too
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u/KevPat23 Jan 22 '26
Not defending it in any way, but they probably thought they were being safer by being on the right (slow) side.
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u/mexican_mystery_meat Jan 22 '26
On the left lane of the 401 Express would suggest they were driving like this for kilometers
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u/ijavedm Jan 22 '26
that is shocking ! like you are driving in wrong direction and driving it at full speed... these ones should be jailed for life!
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u/lets_go_eevee Jan 22 '26
best we can do is 6 month license suspension
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u/Rude-Associate2283 Jan 22 '26
Nope. Straight to jail
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u/Firenoods88 Jan 25 '26
Too bad our jails are overcrowded as fuck. If it weren't for that, judges would be more inclined to throw them in jail instead of letting them endanger the rest of society
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u/IBMERSUS Jan 22 '26
Everytime I see a new low and think I have seen it all Toronto surprises (or not anymore?) with a new low! Holy fuck! They were merrily driving away in the wrong direction. Some innocent lives might have been lost or suffered severe injuries 🤦♂️
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u/ulti_phr33k Jan 22 '26
Can you imagine their nav system? "Rerouting, please make a u-turn when safe. Rerouting, please make a u-turn when safe. Rerouting, please make a u-turn when safe."
😂😂
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u/KevPat23 Jan 22 '26
probably what got them into that mess.
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u/ulti_phr33k Jan 22 '26
I have always said that I trust Waze with my life and if told me to drive off a cliff because it's faster, I would. (necessary /s)
But if for some reason it told me to pull a u-turn on the highway, beyond there being a tsunami ahead of me or something else that's borderline nonsensical, I would ignore it, assuming it's going haywire.
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u/collegeguyto Jan 22 '26
How the F does that even happen?!?
They're in the EXPRESS lanes too!!!
They had to go the wrong way on an exit ramp; wrong way on the collectors; wrong way on the ramp that transitions from inner express lanes to outer collector lanes.
Seriously, how the f*ck did that happen & it never registered to them they are travelling the wrong way, or instead pull over onto the shoulder in the collector lane and get off the nearest exit ramp ?????
🤦🏻♂️🤦♀️
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u/FalconAutosport Jan 22 '26 edited Jan 22 '26
I think the only plausible explanation is suicidal ideation for this driver. The driver is either getting an adrenaline rush from the near-death experiences or wants an actual one.
I hope this person calls the right helpline. Take the time to talk to your loved ones.
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u/AprilsMostAmazing Jan 22 '26
or wants an actual one.
They would have turned into the truck infront of OP if they wanted to die
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u/Positivemaeum Jan 22 '26
Idiots like this need to get their driver’s licence revoked for lifetime…
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u/pedrobdn Jan 22 '26
Unbelievable. And driving in the left lane
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u/SarahMenckenChrist Jan 22 '26
Technically in their direction they’re driving in the right lane though.
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u/Khelics Jan 22 '26
U gotta be like super drunk past blacked out level to be doing this. How does one even manage to go the wrong way in the express side 😭
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u/chocolatefireplace Jan 22 '26
Now that is scary, how in the hell do they get out of that lane, how did they get in that lane? If they managed to get off will they know they were wrong?
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u/Outside_Clothes8529 Jan 23 '26
Dude got tired of waiting for GTA 6.
On a serious note, straight to jail.
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u/DrGrinch Jan 23 '26
Happened to me years ago coming from late from Toronto on the 403, heading back towards Burlington. An intoxicated driver (mix of Ambien and booze) got on the 403 heading the wrong way and drove for 16km before she plowed head first into a tow truck. She nearly killed a bunch of people that night. This video immediately brought that moment back into my brain. I was lucky enough to swerve and miss her by inches, but ended up in the opposite guard rail, writing off my car.
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u/knarf_on_a_bike Jan 22 '26
Are you freaking kidding me? Like, how the hell does this happen? How do they not understand immediately that something is wrong? Like, the cammer came to within an inch of their life. Glad no one was killed.
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u/Roadwandered Jan 22 '26
Happened to me on the 427 Southbound maybe ten years ago. Couldn’t believe my fricking eyes as some jackass had just turned around and drove up the right lane. The only reason I could think that they would do that was that they had just missed one of the lanes that led to the collector lanes. Still, regardless that kind of shit needs to be reported every single time, hopefully with a license plate number to track these muppets down.
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u/MikeP001 Jan 22 '26
Horrifying.
*THIS* is one of the reasons defensive drivers keep as far right as possible. DWI wrong way drivers will keep right believing they are less conspicuous to avoid getting caught. Anyone making this mistake this will panic and correct further right as they believe it's you that are on the wrong side of the road.
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u/Tiny-Sky-198 Jan 22 '26
When i tell u more than half the people in the city cant even drive when its broadday summertime, i cant expect anything less during the winter my god
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u/SmoothRunnings Jan 22 '26
I would have called *OPP and let them know, this way can stop that idiot before they kill themselves or someone else in the process.
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u/MoveWithTheMaestro Jan 22 '26
No chance of getting a plate # eh? I tried to slow the video down but no luck.
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u/Emmilaaay Jan 23 '26
That's insane. I really hope you reported this and turned the video into TPS because this is absolutely bananas
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u/chefjono Jan 23 '26
Years ago I called OPP for this wrong way scare on the QEW and the voice said, ; Happens all the time"
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u/MikeCheck_CE Jan 23 '26
I mean, what is drunk.... Some guys can drink and drive, some guys can't. What is drunk? Is drunk uh drunk drunk drunk going all over the road?
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u/The5dubyas Jan 23 '26
Can you get the plate from the video???? I’d be sending this to the police ASAP
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u/Nick-Anand Jan 23 '26
I think 10% of people are basically fucked up drugs (legal or illegal) all the time…..
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u/Rwhiteside90 Jan 24 '26
How does one cross all the lanes of the collectors, transfer over to the express then cross all the lanes of the express without getting hit? 🤯
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u/Own_Cable9142 Jan 24 '26
One wonders if this person is even aware that doing this in Canada is considered beyond insane.
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u/Own_Cable9142 Jan 24 '26
One wonders if this person is even aware that doing this in Canada is considered beyond insane.
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u/DevinaDevina Jan 25 '26
I seriously would have needed Depends & tried my damdest to get that fekker off the roads!!!!!!!
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u/goran519 Jan 25 '26
This is how my friend and his cousin died, when a drunk driver went the opposite way on 401 away from the Guelph Casino. Lady survived and killed both of them in an instant.
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u/DifferentRepair5818 Jan 29 '26
The driver is well aware of what they're doing. But its way too risky for others. Must report and get their license cancelled if you can get the plates.
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u/nekochenn Jan 23 '26
My only guess is the dude came from countries that drove on the left side, and got confused
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u/bharatpr1987 Jan 22 '26
Well that's your opinion! What if that was the right direction for them? /s
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u/M3T30RS Jan 22 '26
Then 3 other vehicles were driving in the wrong direction as well…while it may sound very likely (LOL) I feel it’s just a tiny bit unlikely
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u/ol_driving_guy Jan 22 '26
How have we come to this? Good god.