Terrifying Video Shows 100+ Cars Plowing Into Each Other on a Foggy Highway

Hear me out: I just spent 42 days in Hawaii (it’s home, not a vacation), but storms, flooding, and other non-idyllic weather do happen. In addition to hurricanes and tsunamis, there’s even the occasional blizzard (hi, Haleakala). If you don’t make driving adjustments when conditions are less than ideal (i.e., slow down, headlights on), then even something seemingly innocuous like fog can lead to 100-car mashups like a recent event in China.

Henan province has an apparent history of big-time pileups. In December 2023, heavy fog reduced visibility so much that by the time drivers saw the vehicle in front of them, it was already too late. Some 200 vehicles continually crashed on the Zhengxin Huanghe bridge, which resulted in at least one fatality and a number of injuries.

A similar incident occurred this week at a similar bridge in the region. A recent video shared by Accuweather shows roughly 100 vehicles crash into an ever-growing pileup. Even as bystanders (possibly the drivers or passengers of the already disabled cars) are frantically waving at the oncoming traffic to slow down, the opposite occurs. And one by one, crash, boom, bang.

“This multi-vehicle accident happened when visibility dropped during misty and foggy weather on a bridge along a highway in Zhengzhou, China,” said Weather Channel meteorologist Jennifer Gray. “Cars can be seen careening into other wrecked vehicles,” Gray said there were reports of injuries but no further information regarding any deaths.

The video is less than 45 seconds long and shot from a single vantage point. There’s no telling where on the bridge or overpass the crashes occurred or where the fog rolled in. To the video recorder’s right is the pileup, and to their left are the unprepared drivers. The roadway is three lanes wide with shoulders on either side—and every inch of that road is taken up with vehicles of every make and model surrounded by a smattering of car parts on the ground.

It’s possible the fog wasn’t apparent when entering the bridge, or as this as it was where the pileup happened. Additionally, the cars appear one at a time, so already there’s little warning due to the lack of traffic flow. Although the video upload is short, the entire thing was likely shot over an extended period. Oh, and there’s definitely ice on the road as cars are seen sliding with brake lights illuminated. Even though this section of road looks flat, bridges and overpasses always accumulate ice before the grounded roads simply due to exposure.

How can we prevent this from happening? Simple: don’t drive when weather conditions suck. But if you have to venture out, be 200% more careful. When you can’t see other cars, that means their drivers can’t see you either, so turn on your headlights and be as visible as possible. Like, physically turn that knob or switch to on; don’t assume the auto headlights are on or consider the DRLs as “good enough.” Hit the hazard button for that extra glow of existence.

Understand that all-wheel drive is irrelevant if you have the wrong tires. Winter prep your car. Even if snow isn’t a thing where you live, if you are somehow stranded, at least you’ll have a comfy blanket and some snackies.

Chain-reaction collisions like this can and do happen everywhere. We’ve reported on one in Japan, in Virginia, about the lake-effect snowstorm that ruined weekend plans from Illinois to New York, and of a particular corner in an unknown location that no one can navigate. At the very least, go easy on the throttle and mind the gap.

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