Defensive driving: WWYD?

[Chris B]

Hello all,

I'm feeling greatful that I'm able to write this post right now and am not in a helicopter being flown to the ICU. I don't pray but incidents like this make me reconsider that choice.

I was on my way home from a friends house a half hour ago (3:00 a.m. EST) and was almost in a collission.

I was on a two way/ four lane road (Bayshore Blvd. if you're familiar with Tampa). There are two northbound lanes and two southbound lanes; northbound and southbound are seperated by approximately 10 yards of grass median with curbs. The speed limit is 40 mph. I was traveling on the southbound side between 35 and 40 mph. I saw a car approximately 200 yards ahead of me make a very sudden U-turn from the far right lane. I immediately began looking for possible causes. To my horror I found out the cause for the sudden turn. There was a red Jeep Liberty headed north in the southbound lanes (the lanes I was in). The Jeep was in the left lane of the southbound lanes (my left, their right). I pulled as far right as possible and flashed my lights and laid on the horn while I dialed 911. I gave a description of the vehicle and told the operator the Jeep was driving the wrong way in the wrong lane. I could not give a tag number as I was not about to follow a driver that I assumed to be under the influence.

I don't know what I'd have done differently, if anything. What would you do?

Stay safe, you never know when you might face danger head on.

 

[Kindrox]

I guess I have seen it enough that it does not bother me that much. On a freeway would be a first for me, but in DFW most surface streets are multi-lane, seperated roads. And there are many one-way roads in general.

Lots of people get moving down the wrong side of the road.

You called the cops. What more can you do.

 

[WhoUtink]

I don't know what that guys problem is driving on the south bound side north, you can't see the hot chicks running and walking on the sidewalk as well from that side. Glad you didnt' get in a head on collision and hope he didn't get someone else either.

 

[sacp81170a]

I've talked to many Highway Patrol troopers who advise not to drive in the left lane at night for this very reason. Drunk drivers will often get on an interstate going the wrong way and think they are driving in the correct lane (for them) which is the left lane for traffic driving in the correct direction. All too often they will be driving without headlights on as well. Good advice, if you can't see the tail lights of a vehicle in front of you, don't get in the habit of driving in the left lane after dark.

You did all you could. Adrenaline dumps at 3:00 am suck, don't they?

 

[Pax Jordana]

conventional wisdom, as passed on by the grand elders of my tribe, is to keep the guy in front of you.. but that only works if he's headed in your direction

I dunno if I'd lay on the horn, if only because I wonder what the odds are of him hitting me if I just let him pass versus the odds of him hitting me if I throw on the high beams and honk at him and freak him out.

So I guess it's a wager whether he's drunk or just confundido.

 

[308win]

I've talked to many Highway Patrol troopers who advise not to drive in the left lane at night for this very reason. Drunk drivers will often get on an interstate going the wrong way and think they are driving in the correct lane (for them) which is the left lane for traffic driving in the correct direction.

Yep, my brother is LEO and he says he same thing. We had a spate of these in Columbus last year.

 

[TallPine]

A lady calls her husband on the cellphone and tells him to be careful coming home from work on the freeway because she heard on the news that there was somebody driving the wrong way.

He replies: "It's not just one - there's hundreds of them!"

 

[Mainsail]

Well, since this is a firearms forum, I suppose you could shoot at them. Of course, that’s probably up near the top of the list of worst things you could do.

 

[Chris B]

I don't know what that guys problem is driving on the south bound side north, you can't see the hot chicks running and walking on the sidewalk as well from that side.

Bayshore Blvd. makes for the best commute to work and school I've ever had.

Adrenaline dumps at 3:00 am suck, don't they

Yes!

Tallpine, Mainsail:

Thanks for the responses everyone.