# Left Exit 12 Off Ramp > Left Exit 12 Off Ramp is a 2017 image-macro meme featuring a car swerving off a highway exit, with photoshopped road signs labeling rational versus preferred alternatives. Left Exit 12 Off Ramp is an exploitable image macro featuring a car swerving off a highway exit ramp, with photoshopped road signs representing a rational choice and a preferred (usually worse) alternative. The format originated from a 2013 YouTube dashcam video and became a meme template in late December 2017, quickly spreading across Reddit, Imgur, and other platforms as a go-to format for joking about bad decisions. ## Origin The source footage comes from a YouTube video titled "How to exit freeway like a boss," uploaded on July 4, 2013 by Norwegian YouTuber Fredrik Sørlie[3]. The clip shows a car drifting aggressively into an off-ramp. No highway signs appear in the original video, which picked up over 97,000 views across its first four and a half years. The first known meme edit appeared on December 29, 2017, when HiddenLOL user anon90 posted it under the title "made a template, don't know if it has potential, template in comments"[2]. The edit added the Swedish flag to the car and photoshopped highway signs reading "Continue being a stable first world country" (straight) and "Mass uncontrolled migration from third world nations" (exit). - **Platform:** YouTube (source video), HiddenLOL (meme format) - **Creator:** Fredrik Sørlie (source video), anon90 (first meme edit) - **Date:** 2017 (meme format); 2013 (source video) ## Overview The meme uses a still frame from dashcam footage of a car dramatically swerving into a highway off-ramp. In edited versions, signs are photoshopped onto the highway: the straight-ahead sign shows a sensible or responsible option, while the exit ramp sign shows a less rational but more appealing alternative. The car is always taking the exit, representing the meme creator (or a labeled subject) choosing the worse option. The format works because the swerving car perfectly captures impulsive, last-second decision-making. ## How It Spread The template caught on almost immediately. On the same day as the original post (December 29, 2017), Redditor Throwthowk shared anon90's version to r/dankmemes, where it picked up more than 275 points with a 94% upvote ratio. Also that day, HUGELOL user dankhunt42 posted a self-deprecating version titled "end it pls," with the car labeled "me" swerving away from "A great life full of opportunities friends, girlfriends" toward "Fucking kill myself," earning over 40 points. Two days later, on December 31, 2017, Redditor Laughing_Fish posted a New Year's Eve variation to r/dankmemes. The sign options read "A new year filled with new opportunities to better myself and make a difference" versus "Another year of shitposting memes on Reddit." That post blew up, pulling in over 18,600 points (96% upvoted) and 120 comments in four days[1]. By January 1, 2018, the template had reached Imgur, where user ArigatoKamisama posted a version contrasting "New year new me" with "same shit different year," racking up over 2,100 views in three days. The New Year's timing gave the format a natural boost, and the template kept spreading well into 2018 and beyond as a versatile choice-based meme. ## How to Use The format follows a simple structure: 1. Start with the base image of the car swerving toward the off-ramp exit 2. Label the straight-ahead highway sign with the "sensible" or expected choice 3. Label the exit ramp sign with the impulsive, self-destructive, or funny alternative 4. Optionally label the car itself to represent a person, group, or country ## Cultural Impact Left Exit 12 Off Ramp became one of the most recognizable exploitable templates of the late 2010s meme era. Its strength lies in its instant readability: anyone can understand the "choosing the wrong option" visual without needing context. The format works for political commentary, self-deprecating humor, fandom jokes, and corporate satire alike. It belongs to the same family of labeled decision memes as the Drake Hotline Bling format and the "Distracted Boyfriend" stock photo, all of which peaked around 2017-2018. ## Fun Facts - The original YouTube video had no road signs at all. The entire meme format was built by photoshopping signs onto a signless highway ramp[3]. - The meme went from first post to 18,000+ upvote viral hit in just two days, an unusually fast adoption cycle even by Reddit standards[1]. - Fredrik Sørlie's original video title, "How to exit freeway like a boss," was meant to showcase a driving stunt. He likely did not anticipate it becoming meme infrastructure four years later[3]. - The template's first known use doubled as a template-sharing post, with anon90 explicitly offering it for others to remix[2]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is Left Exit 12 Off Ramp? Left Exit 12 Off Ramp is an exploitable image macro showing a car swerving into a highway exit. Users photoshop labels onto the road signs to joke about choosing an impulsive or bad option over a sensible one. ### Where did Left Exit 12 Off Ramp come from? The source footage is from a 2013 YouTube video by Fredrik Sørlie showing a car drifting into an off-ramp[3]. HiddenLOL user anon90 turned it into a meme template on December 29, 2017[2]. ### What does Left Exit 12 Off Ramp mean? The meme represents making a bad or impulsive choice. The straight road is the logical option and the exit ramp is the tempting but worse alternative. The car always takes the exit. ### How do you use Left Exit 12 Off Ramp? Label the highway sign with a responsible choice, label the exit sign with a worse but relatable choice, and optionally label the car. The humor comes from the car always choosing the exit. ### Is Left Exit 12 Off Ramp still popular? The template saw peak usage in 2018 but became a lasting format that people still pull out whenever a choice-based joke fits. It's a recognized classic in the exploitable template category[1]. ### Who created the Left Exit 12 Off Ramp meme? Norwegian YouTuber Fredrik Sørlie uploaded the source video in 2013[3]. HiddenLOL user anon90 created the first meme edit on December 29, 2017[2]. ### What was the original Left Exit 12 Off Ramp video? A dashcam clip titled "How to exit freeway like a boss" showing a car aggressively drifting into a highway exit. No signs appear in the original footage[3]. ### What subreddit made Left Exit 12 Off Ramp go viral? r/dankmemes played a major role. Redditor Laughing_Fish's New Year's Eve version hit over 18,600 upvotes in four days on December 31, 2017[1]. ### How is Left Exit 12 Off Ramp different from Drake Hotline Bling? Both are preference/choice memes, but Left Exit 12 emphasizes an impulsive last-second swerve toward a bad decision, while Drake's format simply shows rejecting one thing in favor of another without the self-destructive angle. ### Why did Left Exit 12 Off Ramp get popular so fast? Its debut coincided with New Year's Eve 2017, giving it a natural topic (failed resolutions) and a large audience looking for fresh content to share[1]. ## References 1. [Cooper River Bridge Run]() 2. [cache:uF5GRL4D7sQJ:hiddenlol.com/rising/211098 - Google Search]() 3. [Left Exit 12 Off Ramp - Know Your Meme]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/left-exit-12 Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library