A driver was caught on dashcam using a center left turn lane as a shortcut, going against traffic, all to avoid driving 1/5th mile further down the road to make a legal u-turn.
LA County driver and Redditor /u/ShortAd4243 shared headshaking dashcam footage from earlier in April (Apr 2, 2026) to the /r/IdiotsInCars subreddit showing a reckless driver using a center left turn lane as a shortcut, opting to drive against traffic for a couple dozen feet to get to Starbucks, instead of driving a little further down to make an actual, legal U-turn.
Check out their hare-brained move below with the original Reddit thread linked here.
The incident happened in the 23000 block of Hawthorne Blvd near the intersection with the PCH (Exact location on Google Maps linked here.)
As the dashcam shows, OP exits this local Starbucks headed southbound on Hawthorne.
Suddenly, in front of him, a driver in a black Nissan Altima (because of course it is) can be seen driving against traffic into the Starbucks he had just exited.
The Altima driver used the gap in Hawthorne, reserved for cars making and using the center left turn lanes, to make legal turns/u-turns.
“What the f*** are you doing?” OP rhetorically asks himself.
“They likely do that every time that traffic allows,” one of the top comments from /u/TheW83 reads.
“Saw someone pull the same maneuver this morning. It was earlier, and there was very little traffic, but I turned a corner to see a car driving my way on a divided road until it turned into a parking lot,” /u/JPiro shared.
“God forbid they drove a 1/5th mile further to make a legal U-turn,” /u/ferio252 commented.
I confirmed on Google Maps that, indeed, the next center left turn lane where this driver could’ve busted a legal u-turn is just 800 feet away (1/5th mile.)
In California, misusing a center left-turn lane to drive against traffic can be cited under unsafe lane use or improper passing (e.g., VC 21651 or 21755), typically carrying a ~$238+ base fine (often $400+ total with fees). It can add 1 point to your driving record. If it’s deemed especially dangerous, it could be charged as reckless driving, which brings higher fines, 2 points, and possible court consequences.
