Wrong way drivers on freeways across California will soon be seeing plenty of red reflectors. A number of different fatal crashes have prompted Caltrans and safety advocates to think of ways to alert drivers that they are going in the wrong direction. Red plastic reflectors that are aimed in the wrong direction will be posted on freeways throughout the state to make it more obvious to even drunk drivers that they need to pull over. The red reflectors are designed to call a motorist’s attention to the fact that he or she is going the wrong direction. 

The reflectors will be placed every 48 feet on each lane with more than 1100 red reflectors on the 10 lane freeways throughout California. The state currently uses a single row of red reflectors every half mile and this is visible only to wrong way traffic. However, a cluster of 10 fatal crashes throughout 2015 were recorded as the fault of wrong-way drivers.

The blood alcohol level in one of those cases was extremely high. The death toll increased by six in a recent Interstate 5 crash. Although wrong way freeway crashes are infrequent, the consequences are often catastrophic. Wrong way driving sometimes happens when a motorist makes a U-turn after driving the right way on the freeway or they may go in the wrong direction on an off-ramp. Regardless of the situation that ultimately prompted someone to go in the wrong way, it can lead to severe consequences and devastating injuries when it results. Get help from an experienced San Diego personal injury attorney if you find yourself harmed.