When you look at these images, you can see why this tunnel is scaring drivers. It’s an optical illusion that the road falls away without any guardrails, with drivers fearing for their safety. At least that’s how it looked to many who ventured forth. Tunnels can sometimes have strange optics, but this one even had one driver saying, “I’m trippin’.”

What caused the tunnel’s optical illusion?

Caution: Foul language! This video began when the driver abruptly stopped to ponder the situation. While filming, an Audi Q3 and Toyota SUV began passing him before these drivers also decided it best to drive around the optical pit. Once the guy shooting the scene sees one of the cars reflected into the hole does he realize it is just a puddle of water.

Though the original poster deleted the video, another Facebook user picked it up. This has since gone viral for obvious reasons. Enough of us have seen images of cars swallowed up into massive holes to be wary when a scene like this presents itself. And if you don’t think the threat of you and your car falling into a sinkhole, we’ll show some of the scariest ones captured by passing motorists. 

How common are sinkholes?

Caution: Foul language! Just last year ANI reported this crazy scene in Mumbai. The sinking Hyundai is gone in less than a minute, in what has to be the smallest sinkhole ever. Luckily, the 67-year-old driver was unharmed and is the source of this video. An officer ANI, “We removed the water from the well using pumps and after we spotted the vehicle, we lifted it with the help of a crane.”

In Prince George’s County in Maryland, a Cadillac driver learned a valuable, and costly lesson. He ignored the warning signs posted by the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission, according to WBALTV. He ended up in this large sinkhole completely submerged. As reported by ABC7 News, the driver received minor injuries. As WSSC adds, each year there are around 1,800 water main breaks in the county. Be alert out there.

“I’m just lucky to be alive”

During rush hour, an Ottawa man was treated for minor injuries after escaping his car, which landed in this deep sinkhole. “Given what I saw and what I went through, I’m just lucky to be alive,” driver Juan Pedro Unger told CTV News. “I hope it doesn’t happen to anyone else.” Indeed!

On Chicago’s South Side, not one, but three cars were swallowed by a massive sinkhole back in 2013. The 40-foot hole injured the driver of the silver SUV who was approaching the sinkhole. As he got near his car the ground underneath let go, taking him with it. Merko Krivokuca received minor scratches in the fall. 

Another of the swallowed cars owners told WGN, “It could have happened to me. I am lucky, and I’m happy. In this kind of neighborhood, I don’t think this should happen.” The cause was a water main built in 1915 that burst after a night of heavy rain. Widespread flooding was seen throughout the Chicago area.