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Montana is famous for its majestic mountain ranges. You've probably also noticed the many runaway truck ramps that slice up steep grades alongside our freeways. But have you ever seen one being used? 

These brilliant engineering marvels, much like the tractor-trailers that they save from tragedy, are one of the features that make the American interstate system so much safer than roads in most other countries. 

The video below shows what happens when a skilled driver experiences a brake failure and expertly maneuvers his massive vehicle onto a runaway truck ramp on I-70 in Colorado. 

"Friday, April 26 2019, Jesse Terrell was driving westbound on I-70 towards Silverthorne. He saw smoke coming from this semi and knew its brakes were burning up. Due to the fact that between 24-36 hours before a similar occurrence had happened going east bound on I-70, Jesse picked up his phone to make the recording. Traffic was moving along at a clip of 60-65 mph on a steep grade. The truck had already passed the first of two runaway ramps.

"The smoke began to lessen, which told Jesse that they had just given out. 'I could see clearly that his right signal was on and the second of two runaway truck ramps was just ahead. I muttered to myself, "I really hope the driver takes this ramp." I noticed as well that once the brakes had given out, the speed of the semi increased significantly. I am incredibly thankful that this trucker had the wherewithal to utilize a runaway ramp for its intended purpose as this definitely saved lives unlike the tragic events from the day before where lives were lost. I hope this video can be utilized by trucking companies everywhere to show the value of keeping a cool head and utilizing the tools given for everyone’s safety.'"