This driver’s trip to Wendy’s was cut short by a driver using the center turn lane like a regular one.
Presumed Washingtonian and Redditor /u/DexHamster’s shared frustrating dashcam footage from earlier last weekend (June 16, 2024) to the /r/IdiotsInCars subreddit showing the harebrained moment a driver in a Buick Century used the center turn lane like a regular lane and subsequently slammed into him head-on as he waited to turn left into a Wendy’s.
Check out the head shaking moment below.
[70Mai] Guy booking it in the turn lane wrecks my trip to Wendys and sucks my bumper off
byu/dexhamster inDashcam
The incident happened at the 2600 Block of Rainer Ave. S. (exact location on Google Maps linked here.)
As OP’s video shows, he’s stopped on Rainer Ave S. ready to turn left into Wendy’s.
As the video and this screenshot of that location shows, Rainer Ave S. has a center turn lane that, if you zoom out, practically runs the length the entire length of that street.
As such, it would not be a stretch to presume bad drivers use this to their advantage, cutting traffic by using the center turn lane like a regular lane.
In the distance, we see a driver in a silver 2000s Buick Century barrelling towards OP without stopping.
OP lays on his horn, at which point we see the Buick’s tires lock up as the driver attempts to brake.
It’s too little too late, and the Buick slams head-on into OP’s car.
Was he using the turn lane like a regular lane?
Or, was he just a bad driver and distracted (as comments pointed out, he was looking at his phone.)
Regardless, this is an avoidable accident that didn’t need to happen.
“Dude didn’t even realize he’s in a turn lane I think,” /u/OmniPresentCPU wondered.
“They were driving extremely fast. Looks like they were looking to pass?!? Also stayed in the turn lane way more than allowed (200 feet California). Sorry OP hopefully you are okay.,” /u/Fuzzy-Deer1487 commented.
“Let they who has not had their bumper sucked off in a Wendy’s parking lot, throw the first bone, /u/ClodMoney humoursly added.
Thankfully, despite the poor braking performance from that Buick, he slowed enough to lessen the impact of the crash enough to presumably not cause serious injury to OP or himself.
Yikes! Maybe they need to put speed bumps in turn lanes like they do in some busy parking lots! Or texture the road there like they do on the freeway to keep drivers from drifting off the road. The guy who failed at braking was driving WAY too fast, especially for a turn lane. This could have happened in a regular lane to a car stopped for a pedestrian. Only it would be a rear ending accident. In my area, they put speed meters: radar guns attached to a sign that flashes your speed. If over the limit, it also flashes “slow down”. We had a highway near me that was so busy they had to remove the turn lane and replace it with a divided highway with lots of marked U turn spots, including some at traffic lights.