Alex Buscemi
Driving at night can bring out some of the strangest and most unsettling moments, especially when the roads are empty, and the world feels just a little too quiet.
Reddit users have been sharing their creepiest experiences while driving after dark, and the stories range from bizarre to downright terrifying.
Whether it’s unexplained sightings, eerie coincidences, or encounters that leave you questioning reality, these tales capture the uneasy feeling that sometimes comes with the night.
If you’ve ever had a moment on the road that made you double-check your locks or look over your shoulder, you’re not alone.
Scroll on for the best posts from the creepy thread.
1.
When I was about 19, I was driving on a two-lane road after work around 11 PM. Suddenly, a man in a red shirt on a bicycle swerved in front of my car. I hit him and felt the impact. Shouting “OMG” over and over, I got out to check on him—but there was no one there. No bike, no man, no dent, no blood. A sheriff’s car pulled up, and I explained what happened. He told me that 15 years earlier, a young man in a red shirt was hit and killed on that exact spot. Every few years, someone driving through there believes they’ve hit a red-shirted bike rider. I realized I had just hit a ghost.
2.
I was driving to work on a long, straight road in the Mojave Desert. Ahead of me was a motorcyclist going about 80 MPH. Suddenly, he missed a curve and sailed straight off the road. I was sure he had died. I called 911, grabbed my trauma kit, and rushed to help. To my shock, I found the rider alive—shaken but with only a broken collarbone and a mild concussion. It wasn’t a ghost story, but I was convinced I had just seen someone die. It was a miracle he survived.
3.
I was 19, driving home from my boyfriend’s house around 2 AM. Stopped at a red light on the edge of town, I noticed movement in my peripheral vision and thought it was a deer. When I turned my head, I locked eyes with a man in his 50s creeping toward my car with a tire iron in his hand. He froze when he realized I saw him. I ran the red light and sped away.
4.
At 16, I was driving my junky convertible with the top down on a backroad in Missouri. I drove under some low-hanging trees and heard a slap in the backseat. I turned to see a huge black snake slithering toward my seat. I pulled over, screaming, and called my dad to remove the snake. I never drove with the top down in the country again.
5.
While driving across Louisiana on I-10, I saw what looked like a flying car hovering eight feet above the road. It bobbed in the air, and I convinced myself it was a trick of perspective. As I got closer, I realized it was a car on a flatbed truck with its taillights turned on. The truck itself had no lights, making the whole thing look like it was floating. Driving through the swamps at night can play tricks on you.
6.
At 20, I was driving home from work at midnight on a residential street when my car stalled. Seconds later, a car driving the wrong way turned into my lane and sped toward me. If my car hadn’t stalled, we would have collided head-on. In the five years I owned that car, it never stalled again.
7.
Driving on a humid night in Alabama, I passed a hitchhiker wearing a hoodie, even though it wasn’t raining. His other arm was behind his back. In my rearview mirror, I saw that he was holding a shotgun.
8.
While driving through town at night, I suddenly felt the need to turn on my high beams. When I did, I saw four deer standing in the road. Without the brights, I wouldn’t have seen them until it was too late.
9.
Years ago, my boyfriend and I broke down on a back road with no cell service. A car pulled up, and a friendly man who appeared to be a cop offered to help. He added oil to our car and told us to get warm inside. We realized he had disappeared without a trace—no car, no man, just a single leather glove left behind. Thanks, ghost cop.
10.
While driving on a lonely country highway at night, I encountered a huge truck stalled in the right lane with no lights or reflectors. It was hidden in a shadowed patch of darkness, a wall of steel waiting to kill an unsuspecting driver.
11.
Driving home one night, a man started following me. He parked at the entrance to my driveway, got out, and began screaming, “We know where you live! F**k you!” I still don’t know who he was or why he followed me, but I’ve been staying at my mom’s house ever since.
12.
On a stormy night in Texas, I was driving slowly through heavy rain when everything suddenly stopped—the wind, the rain, all of it. In the silence, a golden-orange mist in the shape of a person crossed in front of my car and disappeared. The storm resumed instantly after that.
13.
One night while driving home from a dance competition, I saw shadowy figures walking along the highway. The next thing I remember is waking up in my bed the next morning. My car was parked in the driveway, still in drive, with the keys in the ignition. I must have sleep-driven home.
14.
Driving late at night, my sister and I saw what looked like a black garbage bag flapping on the road. As we got closer, it transformed into a man standing with his bike in the middle of the road. When we asked if he was okay, he nodded but didn’t speak. It was one of the creepiest things we’ve ever seen.
15.
While driving in the woods, a deer rammed into the side of my car, shattering my driver’s-side window and leaving a hoof print on the door. I never even saw it happen, but the damage was extensive.
16.
One night, my friend and I ordered pizza from a 24-hour place and waited in my car. Out of nowhere, a homeless man ran full speed toward the car, aiming to slam into it. My friend pointed him out just in time, and I turned to see him stop inches from the window. He stumbled away, but the whole encounter still creeps me out.
17.
Driving home late at night, I saw a purple balloon floating across the road in the middle of nowhere. I stopped to take pictures, but thankfully, it was just a harmless balloon and not something sinister.
18.
Around 4 AM, I stopped at a tiny gas station in a quiet farm town while driving through Colorado/New Mexico. I thought I was alone until I saw four men in gangster-style outfits leaning against a flashy black lowrider in the shadows. They walked toward me, and I sped off. A cop later told me cartels run drugs in that area, and I wasn’t laughing anymore.
19.
While driving during a storm in Texas, I saw a golden-orange mist shaped like a person cross in front of my car. It vanished as soon as it reached the other side of the road. The storm resumed immediately after. I’ll never forget it.
20.
My mom once told me about a time when her car broke down on the side of the road. A man in the car behind them offered to help and fixed the issue. However, as soon as he was done, he and his car vanished. My grandmother, who was with her, was so terrified that they drove home in silence.
21.
My friends and I visited a “haunted” bridge at night. Legend said the ghosts of children would push your car if you put it in neutral. We sprinkled flour on the back of the car as a joke, and when we put the car in neutral, it started moving uphill. At a gas station later, we found tiny fingerprints in the flour. We swore never to investigate urban legends again.
22.
One night, a friend and I drove down a dark gravel road, aimlessly trying to get lost. Suddenly, a large black mass ran alongside the car, keeping up with us. It turned out to be a massive black dog. We were relieved it wasn’t a paranormal creature, but the scare stayed with us.
23.
While driving on a single-lane road with a cliff on one side and a mountain on the other, a car drove past me on the right. There was no road there—just the cliff. I slammed on my brakes and sat there for a few minutes, still unsure of what I saw.
24.
Working night shifts means I drive at odd hours. Once, at 3 AM, a drunk man banged on my car window at a red light, then slowly rose into view, smiling creepily and tilting his head side to side. Another time, I encountered a white sheet draped over a stick with a note saying, “Come up close, have a look.” I didn’t stop to investigate.
25.
I have astigmatism, so bright lights create halos that make it hard to see at night. Driving through construction zones with lots of headlights scares the hell out of me—it feels like I’m driving blind.
26.
Driving late at night with my sister, we saw what looked like a black garbage bag flapping on the road. As we got closer, it transformed into a man standing with a bike. He nodded when we asked if he was okay, but didn’t say anything. It was eerie and unexplainable.
27.
While leaving my girlfriend’s house in the woods around midnight, my driver’s-side window suddenly exploded, showering me with glass. A deer had rammed into the side of my car and left a hoof print on the door. I never even saw it coming.
28.
Driving on a rural shortcut late at night, my friend and I saw what looked like a body in a ditch. As we turned back to check, we saw a person in a white shirt crouched behind a tree, staring at us. We screamed and sped away.
29.
After a long day at a dance competition, I drove home at 2 AM, completely exhausted. I started seeing shadowy figures walking along the road, but the next thing I knew, I woke up in bed. My car was in the driveway, still in drive, with the keys in the ignition. I must have sleep-driven home.
30.
While driving west on I-80 in Iowa, I saw lightning strike a cornfield. Later that night, I was stopped at a red light with my hand out the window when I felt fur. A deer had walked up to my car to investigate, scaring us both. I heard its hooves running on the road as it bolted away.