Swerving Car — Left Exit 12 Meme Template

A blue car swerves toward an exit at the last moment. Label the straight road with the sensible plan, the right-hand exit with the temptation, and the car with whoever makes the choice.

The turn makes a preference look sudden and decisive. The driver abandons one course for another without much hesitation.

Usually the straight road is the responsible option and the exit is the distraction. You can reverse that judgment, but the right-hand label must always describe the route the car chooses.

The car comes from Fredrik Sørlie’s YouTube video How to exit freeway like a boss, uploaded on July 4, 2013. The meme combines that footage with a road sign; the sign is not part of the original off-ramp scene. [1]

Know Your Meme traces an early labeled composite to HiddenLOL user anon90 on December 29, 2017. New Year’s versions spread through Reddit and Imgur around the turn of 2018, using the two routes to compare intentions with habits. [1]

Put the rejected option on the left side of the green sign, beside the straight arrow. Put the chosen option on the right, beside the turning arrow. Add a short label to the blue car.

The direction matters more than which choice is sensible. Read your labels with the picture: the car is taking the right-hand exit.

The abandoned plan

On the left of the green sign, beside the straight arrow.

The chosen detour

On the right side of the sign, beside the turning arrow.

Who chooses

On the blue car in the lower panel.

• Use the left label for the route being abandoned.
• Use the right label for the chosen route.
• Keep both arrows visible.
• Keep the car label to a name or a few words.