1500

Make
Ram
Segment
Sports Car

In a display of reckless defiance, a pickup truck driver was caught racing down a stretch of Louisiana highway with one of its front wheels missing.

The vehicle, an older Ram 1500, appears to have been in a collision and has taken a substantial beating. But as you can see in the video below, that hasn't stopped the driver, who flies past slower-moving traffic with a trail of sparks following closely. And some people wonder why the road death figures are so high.

According to the Reddit user who uploaded the video, this flurry of friction caused several fires on the grassy central reservation - a serious hazard on a busy road.

The video raises more questions than it answers. Why was the driver traveling at such a rapid speed? Secondly, what caused the damage in the first place? Frankly, we wouldn't be surprised if the three-wheeled Ram was being piloted by someone under the influence of something more substantial than alcohol.

One Reddit user shares this sentiment, commenting that "this person is either fleeing from an accident/police/crime scene or not [very] sober."

After all, no one in their right mind would attempt such a risky journey. Then again, it's entirely possible that the driver was suffering from a medical emergency. The most likely explanation, however, is that this vehicle was stolen. There's no proof to back that up, but the lack of license plates is suspicious.

Perhaps the driver was the guilty party in a hit-and-run accident. Panicked, they may have fled the scene in a hurry. We're not sure what came of the seriously damaged Ram, but we hope no one else got injured in the process.

Looking at the vehicle closely, it appears as if the front right side of the truck took the brunt of the impact. It must have been rather violent to sever the front wheel, though. It's placing severe stress on the rear end, with the right rear wheel bending under pressure. It's safe to assume the already vague steering has been made worse - making the high rate of speed all the more shocking.

This isn't the only outrageous behavior we've seen on America's highway network in recent weeks. A Ford F-Series driver was recently caught towing another Ford pickup truck with a ratchet strap. That's already alarming, but it gets worse when you realize the broken-down truck is already hauling a trailer full of vehicles.

It's bizarre that people are pulling off dangerous stunts in pickup trucks. These vehicles are not only less controllable than a normal car, but, according to the IIHS, trucks (and SUVs) are more likely to cause injury or death in an accident.

What's more, many new examples are lacking crucial safety features that are commonly seen in passenger vehicles.