JENKINTOWN PERSONAL INJURY ATTORNEYS

Earlier this month, Pennsylvania residents received news of a driver who traveled 18 miles driving in the wrong direction on a Northeastern Pennsylvania interstate before finally being stopped by law enforcement. After police attempted to stop the motorist on New Year’s Day by using warning lights and sirens, a road block was finally set up to bring the Pennsylvania driver to a stop.

News stories like this one are shocking to all of us, especially since headlines similar to this seem to be making local newscasts on a more frequent basis. Fortunately, no one was injured in the Northeast Pennsylvania incident listed above, but sadly, that is not the case for so many motorists throughout the state and the rest of the nation. Reports from all across the country show that hundreds of Americans are injured or killed every year due to these needless driving errors.

Authorities across the country are looking for new ways to help reduce the number of wrong way driving incidents that occur. Measures, like displaying multiple, extra large, reflective warning signs or installing radars to send signals to law enforcement, have been taken to deter motorists from entering highways from ramps heading in the wrong direction.

But the question still remains: Why are so many motorists driving their cars in the wrong direction? A few possible reasons suggested by traffic safety experts are:

• Poorly marked or confusing one-way streets
• Highway entrance or exit ramp signs that are insufficient or not clearly visible
• Confused, distracted, or impaired drivers

It’s our hope that no one ever has to experience a terrifying situation involving a wrong-way driver in Pennsylvania. Wrong-way driving is associated with both front-end collisions and rollover accidents, which are both likely to cause severe injuries. The potential consequences of a scenario like this can be catastrophic for all parties involved.

Two key tips

As Pennsylvania traffic injury lawyers, we would like to remind our neighbors of two important principles to limit the risk of wrong-way collisions:

• Never ride in a vehicle with a person you feel is unfit to drive! Take the keys away or offer to drive.
• Please stay calm if you see a car traveling in the wrong direction. Call 9-1-1 immediately, and get out of the way if possible!

Let’s try to stop these senseless wrong way accidents from happening in Pennsylvania and the rest of the country.

If you experiences a wrong-way accident in the Philadelphia area, call 215-545-5220 or 215-545-1870 today to schedule a free and confidential consultation at the offices of Mednick, Mezyk, and Kredo, PC. Our experienced personal injury legal team will guide you through our approach to your case and tell you what sort of recovery we could attempt to secure for your losses.