diff --git a/benchmark/jekyll-sanitize-path b/benchmark/jekyll-sanitize-path
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..231de275
--- /dev/null
+++ b/benchmark/jekyll-sanitize-path
@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env ruby
+
+require_relative '../lib/jekyll'
+require 'benchmark/ips'
+
+base_directory = Dir.pwd
+
+Benchmark.ips do |x|
+  #
+  # Does not include the base_directory
+  #
+  x.report('with no questionable path') do
+    Jekyll.sanitized_path(base_directory, '')
+  end
+  x.report('with a single-part questionable path') do
+    Jekyll.sanitized_path(base_directory, 'thingy')
+  end
+  x.report('with a multi-part questionable path') do
+    Jekyll.sanitized_path(base_directory, 'thingy/in/my/soup')
+  end
+  x.report('with a single-part traversal path') do
+    Jekyll.sanitized_path(base_directory, '../thingy')
+  end
+  x.report('with a multi-part traversal path') do
+    Jekyll.sanitized_path(base_directory, '../thingy/in/my/../../soup')
+  end
+
+  #
+  # Including the base_directory
+  #
+  x.report('with the exact same paths') do
+    Jekyll.sanitized_path(base_directory, base_directory)
+  end
+  x.report('with a single-part absolute path including the base_directory') do
+    Jekyll.sanitized_path(base_directory, File.join(base_directory, 'thingy'))
+  end
+  x.report('with a multi-part absolute path including the base_directory') do
+    Jekyll.sanitized_path(base_directory, File.join(base_directory, 'thingy/in/my/soup'))
+  end
+  x.report('with a single-part traversal path including the base_directory') do
+    Jekyll.sanitized_path(base_directory, File.join(base_directory, 'thingy/..'))
+  end
+  x.report('with a multi-part traversal path including the base_directory') do
+    Jekyll.sanitized_path(base_directory, File.join('thingy/in/my/../../soup'))
+  end
+end
diff --git a/lib/jekyll.rb b/lib/jekyll.rb
index 137d5894..ce94b64b 100644
--- a/lib/jekyll.rb
+++ b/lib/jekyll.rb
@@ -141,9 +141,12 @@ module Jekyll
     #
     # Returns the sanitized path.
     def sanitized_path(base_directory, questionable_path)
+      return base_directory if base_directory.eql?(questionable_path)
+
       clean_path = File.expand_path(questionable_path, "/")
-      clean_path.gsub!(/\A\w\:\//, '/')
-      unless clean_path.start_with?(base_directory)
+      clean_path = clean_path.sub(/^\A\w\:\//, '/')
+
+      unless clean_path.start_with?(base_directory.sub(/^\A\w\:\//, '/'))
         File.join(base_directory, clean_path)
       else
         clean_path