Wacko drivers tis the season again!

[Cobalt]

Probaly following the advice of his Nav unit and it told him too turn after he passed where he should have turned

[Euchre]

Almost certainly a drunk.
I called in a wrong way driver on I-5 back in '06 as I was driving from Portland to Salem (Oregon). This was at about 3am, so fortunately the road was fairly clear and he was in what he thought was the right lane. I spotted the fact that all the headlights ahead and behind him were blinking in and out of sight due to the center rail posts and hedges. As he got close, I tucked in behind a semi with some distance back, and since there was so little traffic he had a solid empty lane between us. He was doing a solid 65-70mph, and the posted was 65. I yanked out the cell (no hands free law, and even now such a situation is considered a valid emergency to call) and called it in. I had barely gotten back on the freeway after gassing up, and so I had a very good documentation of time and location. The cop that actually got him to stop - after he initially just wouldn't despite being driven straight at 'chicken style' with full lights - called me for details the next day. I was glad to give him all of my accurate info. Despite being caught red handed, I guess he tried to claim he was only on the road for a short distance and was not the 'other' car reported many times farther up the road (where I had seen him). In the end I guess he plead out, because I wasn't called to testify.

Despite being relatively 'low risk' for that type of situation, it wasn't a pleasant one. You never know when the drunk is going to realize something is wrong and make another, even worse decision.

[Storkiln]

Originally Posted by upflying

That's the one that killed 4 people.
I've encountered wrong way drivers twice, both were headed at me in the fast lane. Drunks think the "fast lane" is the "slow lane" in the wrong direction.
Never drive in the #1 lane late at night and early morning hours.
I-5 crash kills four, injures seven in Elk Grove - Elk Grove News - The Sacramento Bee

Can't emphasize enough about staying out of the fast lane late at night. From what I've been told, the lane markers reflect red if you're coming at them from the wrong way. I guess if a person is so far gone that driving into headlights doesn't phase them, the red lane markers won't either.

[FOX-]

When I was 16 or 17 I ended up the wrong way on a 70MPH freeway. I decided to take a "shortcut" I had been the passenger on once before. It was close to midnight so the roads were pitch black. I followed a windy country road for 15 miles or so, decided I was dead lost and finally came to a stop sign. I couldn't see much but decided to take a left since I thought that was the general direction I needed to go. 1/4 mile down the road I see head lights in the distance in what appeared to be my lane. As they got closer I figured it out and hit the grass median and crossed over to the proper side. For some reason the rural road I was on linked up directly to the freeway with no real signage. I took a left into the oncoming lanes. If it was light out it would have been obvious.

When I was living in Ballard in Seattle there was a street that used to have a train track running down the center. They pulled out the rails and turned the center into park leaving two narrow one way streets on each side of the parking strip. One night I was driving south and saw car lights in my lane heading northbound. I slowed way down and flashed my lights. When they kept coming I flashed my lights again and honked my horn. They figured it out.

Another night I was heading to work, just coming off the freeway on an exit ramp. A girl in a WRX took a left into the exit ramp entrance going the wrong way, I hit the breaks and the horn. She pulled off to the side and flipped me off like I was in her way.

People are crazy.

-Tim

[subiesailor]

Originally Posted by Storkiln

Can't emphasize enough about staying out of the fast lane late at night. From what I've been told, the lane markers reflect red if you're coming at them from the wrong way. I guess if a person is so far gone that driving into headlights doesn't phase them, the red lane markers won't either.

^ that accident was a case of a large heavy SUV leaving the highway crossing the center divider and hitting traffic going the other way not really a wrong way driver more of something wrong with the car or the driver falling asleep - tire blown loss of control etc causing the car to cross over. We had a few of those farther west on Highway 80 between Dixon and Vallejo and they replaced the old cable fence and Plants with the large heavy cement divider after a number of accidents caused by high speed large vehicles making it through the center divider and hitting traffic going the other way.

[dianer]

That's the one that killed 4 people.
I've encountered wrong way drivers twice, both were headed at me in the fast lane. Drunks think the "fast lane" is the "slow lane" in the wrong direction.
Never drive in the #1 lane late at night and early morning hours.
I-5 crash kills four, injures seven in Elk Grove - Elk Grove News - The Sacramento Bee


No this was a different wrong way driver.

New Details: Wrong-Way Driver Causes 4-Car Accident on Interstate 5 | Local News - Home

[CNY_Dave]

Last week, about 9am I was near the end of an off-ramp and met someone coming the wrong way, they had just turned 10 feet too early as the on and off ramps were right next to each other and met the surface street at a traffic light.

I was amazed how long I had to flash the lights and lean on the horn before he even realized there was a car coming at him.

[upflying]

Originally Posted by dianer

No this was a different wrong way driver.

New Details: Wrong-Way Driver Causes 4-Car Accident on Interstate 5 | Local News - Home

Sounds like DUI prescription drugs or a diabetic reaction. Sad because nothing will happen to the 69 yr old wrong way driver. He will get a suspended license, mandatory driver re-examination and 3 yrs probation.
The civil litigation is what he has to worry about.

[Storkiln]

Originally Posted by subiesailor

^ that accident was a case of a large heavy SUV leaving the highway crossing the center divider and hitting traffic going the other way not really a wrong way driver more of something wrong with the car or the driver falling asleep - tire blown loss of control etc causing the car to cross over. We had a few of those farther west on Highway 80 between Dixon and Vallejo and they replaced the old cable fence and Plants with the large heavy cement divider after a number of accidents caused by high speed large vehicles making it through the center divider and hitting traffic going the other way.

Yikes...vehicles suddenly zipping across a division into oncoming traffic is one of the worst case scenarios. A few months ago I was on a highway whose median was just a 30 feet wide lane of soft dirt. Traffic began thickening and came to a crawl, with emergency vehicles in the distance. As we were filed past the accident, we saw a single late model Explorer on its roof next to our side of the road. There were deep, twisted gouge marks in the dirt leading from the wreckage, back across the dirt divider to where the vehicle first left the pavement coming the other direction. Not sure what caused it, and I didn't see any other cars involved at the accident scene. Good thing that wide dirt median did a good job of keeping the runaway car from making it to the opposing lanes.

[JCBERB]

A wacko driver is the reason why I now have the OB. First a kid totalled my Altima running a red light. THEN about two weeks later lady darts out of a gas station, drives across three lanes of traffic and into my wifes Forester. In this case the lady had the **** nerve to tell my wife it was my wifes fault (mind you this woman did not have her license and insurance was expired, and car registration was not in her name..hmmm), but reality settled once she was given a citation. Gotta love these Louisianna drivers. So now I bought myself one of these: V1000GS HD 1080P Car DVR, going to test it out, then will buy my wife one.