As wrong-way crash accidents attain document excessive in Harris County, knowledgeable says understanding what to do in these split-second selections may save your life.
MAGNOLIA, Texas — For months now, KHOU 11 Information has stayed on high of a wrong-way crash epidemic locally. Accidents from wrong-way crashes in Harris County are at a 10-year excessive.
“In your day, we most likely talked a couple of head-on collision with a deer while you took driver’s ed with us,” stated Jeff Adams, proprietor of Magnolia Drivers Ed.
20 years after first studying to drive with Coach Adams, KHOU 11 Anchor and Reporter Marcelino Benito obtained again within the automobile to discover ways to keep away from a head-on collision it doesn’t matter what.
“You are cut up seconds,” stated Adams. “Should you’re going 70 mph and the wrong-way driver goes 70 mph and there is a head-on collision, that is 140 miles per hour affect. You are not surviving that. You are shedding one thing for certain.”
A very powerful tip is to by no means go left.
“I would reasonably go within the ditch up in opposition to the fence as an alternative of him hitting me and going into the oncoming site visitors,” stated Adams.
Adams stated to all the time decelerate and switch the automobile proper.
“We’re making an attempt to get such a motion, simply sliding near the automobile right here,” stated Adams. “If I can get that, it is nonetheless going to harm, however you are going to dwell to inform that.”
In an ideal world, Adams stated, you may see the wrong-way driver coming from a distance. Timing is all the things.
“Preserve your eyes wanting 5 automobiles up the highway,” stated Adams. “Should you see headlights coming at you on the freeway, you are already lowering velocity and dead-stopping your automobile.”
But when there is not any time, you need to react.
“Should you can, flash the lights, honk, do no matter you’ll be able to, but when there is not any change, by now I am jerking the wheel and getting it over there to the precise,” stated Adams.
When you’re protected, name 911 and report it to the police. Do not forget that most wrong-way crashes occur between midnight and 6 a.m., when impaired driving is at its peak.
“If it is late at evening, I am within the gradual lane, I am in that far proper lane,” stated Adams. “If it is 4 lanes on the freeway, I am within the gradual lane. “
Incorrect-way driving is such an issue throughout the nation. 4 states — Connecticut, Ohio, Massachusetts and Washington — have launched or enacted laws that requires classes on avoiding wrong-way driving of their driver’s ed programs. Texas, at this level, doesn’t.
Extra on wrong-way drivers in Houston
Officers stated the overwhelming majority of wrong-way driving incidents contain a driver who’s in some way impaired and prevention efforts deal with infrastructure in addition to informing the general public of the dangers of impaired driving.
“We assault it with the with the three Es,” TxDOT public info officer Danny Perez instructed KHOU 11. “That is engineering, enforcement and training.”
Efforts embody crimson, illuminated signage markings on the highway at exit ramps in addition to detection and warning methods.
“We have checked out totally different areas the place we may see the potential for people to come back up the flawed method, particularly on our exit ramps,” Perez stated.
Managed roadways, just like the Westpark Tollway, can use mechanisms like gates so as to add a layer of safety.
Different metro areas have labored to handle the difficulty over time.
That features San Antonio, which, in 2011, fashioned a job pressure to review the difficulty, develop potential options, implement them, and evaluation the outcomes.
Putting in illuminated signage, highway markers and a digital camera detection and warning system all helped scale back the variety of incidents. Within the first yr of a pilot program alongside one roadway, the duty pressure reported a 30% discount within the variety of wrong-way driving incidents.
Finally, officers say the primary strategy to scale back the variety of such incidents is to stop drunk or impaired driving.
