Wrong-Way Drivers

This is actually going to be one of the tougher articles to write for me, and that is because there is no for sure, straight-up answer that will work every time this is encountered. And it’s encountered a lot. Just in the metro Phoenix area, there have been 245 incidents of wrong way drivers since 2014 according to the local Fox affiliate. And if you take a quick look at your calendar, that is 245 incidents of people driving the wrong way on a road in about a year. It is absolutely ridiculous that so many people can make such a boneheaded mistake. Let’s see what we can do about it to keep you safe.

The first thing I’m going to recommend is what I always recommend, and that is to make sure you are driving in a way that is focused and concentrated.  And remember, focus and concentration on the road isn’t just seeing the road, but being able to anticipate what can happen on the road. A driver with focus can potentially spot a wrong way driver before they are a menace. So first thing, make sure you are looking far ahead on the road you are on, that you are spotting changes in the flow of traffic and you can tell what they mean for you, and that you aren’t distracted while driving by people, music, phones or billboards as much as humanly possible. Having said that, I know that being 100% focused is pretty much impossible, but do your best to make sure that what you are concentrating on is the road and what is going on there, not anything else.

What’s next? Well this is where it gets tricky. If you remember your high school physics, two objects going towards each other at speed reach the same point pretty quickly, and this is even more true when we are talking highway or freeway speeds (speeds of 55 miles per hour or more).  The reason it gets tricky here is that it is very likely that you won’t spot the wrong way driver until it’s too late to do something about it. Your brain is not going to register headlights coming in your direction on your side of the road as a wrong way driver until it processes all other possibilities, and this is going to depend in large part on your driving experience. What I believe happens to most people in these situations is that they possibly recognize that there is a wrong way driver, but by the time they take action, it’s too late to avoid a collision or they happen to try and get to the same side of the road as the wrong way driver. You have seen this multiple times. How many times have you bumped into someone (physically, not with our car), and then you try to go around them, but both of you chose the same side, then you try again, and both of you choose the opposite side? I know it’s happened to me more times than I can count. The same thing can happen while driving, but there, the consequences of bumping into someone are much more severe.

One possible solution is to pull to your right and get off the road if you see a wrong way driver.  I say this because it will be the opposite instinctive reaction of the wrong way driver. That driver, if he or she comes to their senses and tries to get off the road they are going the wrong way on, will pull to their right to get off, because that is what everyone is told to do if they have an issue with their car. For you though, that wrong way driver’s right is your left, so avoid the left lanes, and get as far right as possible. Drivers are almost branded into believing that the left lanes are sacrosanct avenues for speed and passing, and are not to be touched upon pain of death unless you are going really fast. Most drivers don’t drive in the left lanes, and it’s likely a wrong way driver won’t as well, so that could give you an advantage. So solution number one: pull off to your right as far as possible if you notice a wrong way driver. Once you do that, call the police and report the wrong way driver so no one gets hurt by them. It’s not a foolproof solution, because we all know that people do still drive in the left lanes, even if traffic laws tell them not to, but it is the best solution if solutions are limited.

There is one even better solution, and that is to limit the time you are on the road during the night. I cannot think of a single wrong way driver incident that I’ve ever heard of that took place during the daytime. Normally, they all seem to happen sometime between midnight and dawn. If you aren’t on the roads during this time, you can’t get into an accident. It’s as simple as that. Having said that, I know that there are times where you run out of baby formula and have to go to the store at 2 A.M. or you work a second shift job that lets out at 1230 in the morning.  You have no choice but to drive during the night. If that’s the case with you, be extra vigilant with your driving. Try to avoid running errands when you get off work. Get home as soon as possible, don’t take the long way home, get off the roads as soon as possible so you can’t be another victim of a wrong way driver.

Now let’s put the shoe on the other foot. What do you do if YOU are the wrong way driver? How would you know? Well first off, pay attention to the road signs. If you are driving at night, you should see signs that are very bright because road signs are made to reflect headlights. This is especially true of freeways, where most wrong-way driver incidents seem to occur. If the signs you see all look like they have been turned backwards towards you, that’s a good sign that you are on the wrong side of the road. Pull over to your right immediately and call the police. Another good indicator are the reflectors on the road. Reflectors on freeways are designed to reflect red if a driver approaches them going the wrong way. If you see nothing but bright red reflectors shining back at you as you drive, you are going the wrong way. The picture above this paragraph shows what the wrong way reflectors look like if you were to drive the wrong way. Notice how they look like a car's stop lights. That should give you a good indication that you something is wrong and that you need to stop.  Pull over to your right, and call the police. Other things that can clue you in to being on the wrong side of the road are off ramps, rest stops, and road signs. On the vast majority of roads, these things are on the right side of the road. Some road signs and off ramps are on the left side of the road, but the majority are found on the right. If you notice that the bulk of these things are on the left side as you drive down, you’re on the wrong side of the road. Pull over and call the police.

Now, why do I suggest you call the police if you notice that you’re on the wrong side of the road and pull over? It’s because you will need some help going in the right direction. You should NOT just make a quick U-turn in the middle of the freeway to get yourself in the right direction- It could be catastrophic because you could be broadsided by multiple cars. Remember, if you were driving the wrong way and pulled over to your right, you are on the left side of the road facing the direction of traffic. A U-turn would have to be done turning into traffic, and that would not be expected of regular drivers, and could be as bad as driving the wrong way. A police officer can stop or slow traffic so that you can make a safe U-turn and get headed back in the right direction.

Wrong way drivers are a very tough problem to solve. They are incredibly dangerous, and incredibly hard to spot, which makes being focused while driving even more important. Remember, if you spot one, get as far off to the right as possible, and call the police. An even better solution though is to not be on the road in the early morning hours when a lot of wrong-way incidents seem to happen. While these suggestions aren’t foolproof, they can help you survive if you spot a wrong way driver. Until next time…