Dashcam Footage Shows Why Some U-Turns Are Illegal, and Why You Should Look If You Are Going To Do One

Bad U-Turn by Pickup Truck
Image Credit: saelumi/Reddit

You have probably all heard of U-turns, and that, for the most part, there are certain rules you have to follow and obey before doing one. In some instances, they are completely illegal, but in others they are allowed if the driver obeys specific rules and takes precautions.

However, a video has recently emerged showing what happens if you perform an illegal U-turn and don’t look where you are going. The footage was uploaded to the r/dashcams subreddit by user saelumi, and it’s only a 17-second clip, but it shows everything you need to see.

In the clip, the dashcam car we are riding onboard with is just minding its own business, heading down a highway when it comes to a junction. To the right, we can see a black pickup truck merging out of the junction and onto the highway.

However, this pickup truck driver doesn’t seem to be paying attention. Not only did they attempt to make an illegal U-turn, but they also did so without looking at what was coming the other way. Cue a big accident and a very unhappy driver inside the dashcam car, and two damaged vehicles.

What We See in the Dashcam Footage

 

If you are going to do an illegal U-turn, you should at least look.
by
u/saelumi in
dashcams

The car we are riding in is simply driving around, minding its own business, as it heads along the highway. To the right, we can see a junction, and it is from here that the black pickup truck first emerges. All looks normal, but then, without warning, the pickup truck suddenly starts to turn left out of its lane in an effort to make a U-turn.

This is already where the pickup truck has failed. The markings between the lanes indicate you can’t just move over and must stay in lane. The exit onto the highway is also on a slight hill as well as just coming around a curve. Plus, there is a dividing wall along part of the exit, so all of that combines to not create great visibility for the driver coming out of the junction and onto the highway.

For whatever reason, the pickup driver didn’t appear to consider any of that.

In fact, they didn’t appear to consider looking in their mirrors. They just suddenly turned to the left and then smashed into the side of the dashcam vehicle, which had basically no time to react and try to avoid the collision. Sadly, the clip doesn’t have any sound to it, but we can imagine a few expletives were shouted inside the car at that moment. The video caption simply read, “If you are going to do an illegal U-turn, you should at least look.”

Viewers of the Video Had a Field Day in the Comments Section

Bad U Turn by Pickup Truck featured image
Image Credit: saelumi/Reddit

There were plenty of comments on the Reddit post, with 673 posted at the time of writing. “How do you even make a mistake like this? Was it like a 90-year-old or a 17-year-old who just got their licence?” said the top comment on the video. “That is not a mistake; that is on purpose and premeditated rule-breaking and not being able to see the car in the blind spot,” said another user in response to the top comment.

“Not a mistake, a deliberate maneuver made by a truckglodyte actually expecting the world to be revolving around him,” said another commenter further down. “It seems most likely that they thought the lane to their left was oncoming traffic, probably due to the separator, and didn’t realize it was a same-direction lane for some reason, so they didn’t bother looking behind. Very unskilled,” added another.

Whatever happened, the pickup truck driver was clearly driving very badly.

Author: Henry Kelsall

Henry joined Guessing Headlights in May 2026, and covers a wide array of topics ranging from EVs, American barn finds and supercars.  He’s combined his passion for cars with an interest in motorsports and steam locomotives, and has been an automotive journalist for over ten years. Henry has written for various publications including HotCars, AutoEvolution and most recently as a content writer for Supercar Blondie at SB Media.

Henry’s main love is for anything Japanese, or from Lancia, with the dream being to one day own a first-generation Honda NSX. Away from work, he partakes in his passion for steam engines, and is currently a trainee fireman at a British heritage railway.

Leave a Comment

Flipboard