Driving in a dark or unfamiliar area can be confusing. Perhaps you visited a friend in Belvidere one evening. Later, on your way home, you had trouble navigating the Genoa Road entrance to the Jane Adams Memorial Tollway. Another night, you drove to the Coronado Performing Arts Center to see a show and got mixed up as you navigated the one-way streets in downtown Rockford after dark. Everyone gets confused at some time or another, but drivers must take great care to avoid wrong-way driving, or driving against the flow of legal traffic.
How Wrong-Way Driving Accidents Happen
Wrong-way driving is a serious error that often results in a fatal, head-on collision. Following are the most common ways these accidents occur:
- Driver uses an exit ramp to enter a divided highway
- Driver makes a U-turn across the median or uses an emergency turnaround to loop back to a missed exit
- Driver attempts to pass a vehicle when there is not enough room to do so
- Driver travels the wrong way down a one-way street
How You Can Avoid Becoming a Wrong-Way Driver
When you are driving, you can take the following simple steps to avoid becoming a dangerous, one-way driver:
- Check the lines painted on the pavement. If there is no line on your left, or there is one on your right, you are driving on the wrong side of the road.
- Before turning on an unfamiliar street, check for ONE WAY traffic signs that will alert you to a one-way street.
- Yellow lines separate lanes of traffic moving in opposite directions, while white lines separate lanes of traffic moving in the same direction. When you turn, look to see if there is a yellow line in the middle of the road. If white lines divide lanes, make sure traffic is flowing in the direction you think it is.
Have you lost a loved one due to the negligence of a wrong-way driver? Contact our knowledgeable legal team today to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation.