A driver in a Toyota Corolla came to a dead stop on I-66 eastbound near the Vienna–Fairfax border on Thursday, Aug. 20, and forced their way across the gore zone into the express lanes, according to dashcam footage published by tiremeetsroad.com.

The video, captured by a Fairfax County-area driver and posted to Reddit's r/IdiotsInCars forum, shows the Corolla signaling and crawling across the striped gore area just before exits 64A and 64B toward Tysons and the Capital Beltway. Multiple drivers swerved to avoid a rear-end collision.

No crash occurred.

The maneuver may have violated several provisions of Virginia traffic law. According to Virginia Code §46.2-877, drivers cannot travel so slowly as to impede the normal movement of traffic. Section 46.2-804 bars crossing double solid white lines, punishable by a $100 fine. Tiremeetsroad.com noted the stop could also violate §46.2-888, which prohibits stopping on a highway in a way that endangers traffic. In Fairfax County, that violation carries an $87 fine and is generally not a points offense. If the conduct rises to reckless driving, the penalty jumps to a Class 1 misdemeanor carrying up to 6 demerit points and a $2,500 fine.

No law enforcement agency has publicly commented on the specific incident, and no citation is known to have been issued.

The footage surfaced the same weekend Virginia State Police ran "Operation DISS-rupt" across all 76 miles of I-66 from Saturday, Aug. 22, through Monday, Aug. 24, targeting distracted driving, impaired driving, speed violations and seat belt compliance. As we reported Aug. 21, the operation was timed to coincide with the start of the school year.

VSP Capt. Jean-Paul Koushel, commander of the Fairfax Field Division, said at the operation's launch on Aug. 22: "There's no better time to promote safety, and hopefully, decrease the number of fatalities we see on the roads."

According to state police statistics reported by InsideNoVa, 443 people died in traffic crashes on Virginia roads between Jan. 1 and Aug. 15 this year, compared to 499 during the same period in 2025. A previous DISS-rupt operation on I-66 in February yielded 53 reckless driving citations, 53 for distracted driving and 66 for speeding.

Drivers who witness dangerous maneuvers on I-66 can report them to Virginia State Police at #77 on a cell phone or by calling the non-emergency line at 703-691-2131.