Lane markings clearly indicate that drivers can only turn left from the leftmost lane. She tried to go straight.
San Diego-area driver and Redditor /u/Bonita_Applebaum shared head-shaking dashcam footage from this narrow SD street from earlier in October (Oct 13, 2026) to the /r/IdiotsInCars subreddit, showing a careless driver not paying attention to the lane markings and signage in front of them, nearly causing a sideswipe accident.
Here’s what happened below, with the original Reddit thread linked here.
The incident happened in the 1900 block of Kearney Ave at the intersection with Chicano Park Blvd.
As the dashcam shows, OP is headed south on Kearney towards the aforementioned intersection.
Drivers off the 5 are funneled into their own leftmost lane, which, according to lane markings and signage, they can only turn left.
OP attempts to turn left, allowed from the right lane; however, the driver next to them in a blue Toyota Prius disregards the literal rules of the road and brute-forces their way to go straight.
OP brakes hard to avoid sideswiping the driver in the Prius, who is oblivious to what they did wrong.
The Prius can be seen continuing as OP safely completes her turn without further incident.
“I assumed he was just going to turn into the wrong lane; the idiots keep finding ways to surprise me!,” one of the top comments from /u/nun_gut reads.
“I think L.A. drivers are bad, then I go to San Diego, and it gets even worse!” /u/AKA_Squanchy added.
“Really doesn’t help when the leftmost turn lane continues straight past the light even if it’s a left-turn-only lane,” /u/WeirdIndividualGuy pointed out.
In California, going straight from a turn-only lane is typically cited as an improper turn under Vehicle Code § 22100. This traffic infraction carries a total fine of approximately $238 to $280 after court assessments and fees are added. Additionally, the violation will add 1 point to your DMV driving record, though you may be able to hide the point by attending traffic school.
