A simple mistake not paying attention almost cost this Austin driver potentially thousands in damage to two vehicles, not to mention possible injury.

Travis County driver and Redditor /u/Def_Not_Yours shared a real butt clencher from earlier in April (Apr 2, 2025) to the /r/IdiotsInCars subreddit showing a clueless driver “driving in the moonlight” not notice their turn lane ended causing them to course correct, almost crashing into OP in the process.

Check out their hare-brained maneuver embedded below.

The incident happened in the 4800 block of Ross Rd in Del Valle, TX (Exact location on Google Maps linked here.)

As you can see in OP’s dashcam footage, she’s driving along Ross Rd.

Up ahead, a driver in a Silver Ford F-150 can be seen entering into and driving through a center turn lane.

As this overhead shot shows, that turn lane ends.

The F-150 driver realizes that fact too late, ends up driving against traffic, and course-corrects into OP’s direction of travel, coming within inches of colliding with OP.

OP is paying attention, and there’s a generous breakdown area on the side of the road, not to mention an open (but closed off) driveway to the local high school.

We hear OP invoke her God and say enough of a swear phrase to mark her thread NSFW.

Thankfully, nothing came of the incident besides a close call and a lesson for the other driver to pay attention and to not dart into other lanes without first checking their mirrors and looking.

“This isn’t the driver with the dash cam’s fault, but if you see someone directly in front of you move into oncoming traffic, why would you continue to drive closer to that situation without so much as tapping the brakes?,” /u/halplatmein commented.

“You’re right, and I was very lucky. I assumed the truck was turning left into the apartment complex because the driveway on the right is a permanent “buses only/do not enter“ entry for the high school,” OP replied.

“I’m embarrassed it took a close call like this to learn my lesson, but it won’t be a mistake I make twice!”

Even in a relatively easy-to-navigate and lightly trafficked area like this Del Valle, TX street, it’s your responsibility to pay attention to where lane markings begin and end.

And, as OP shows, your attention should be on the task at hand: driving defensively at all times.