I was in Pennsylvania for the Hershey automotive flea market last week, and on Sunday morning, set out from an overnight stay in Wilkes-Barre for the rest of the drive home. It was about 8 a.m.
Getting onto Interstate 81, I looked ahead and saw a tractor-trailer pulled over to the side of the road, and cars scrambling around it as it moved back into the driving lane. My first thought was that the truck had been stopped, the driver was now starting off again, and other drivers were moving around to make room ... until I realized there was a car making a U-turn in front of me.
Fortunately there was no one directly behind me, so I was able to slow down enough that the driver finished the turn without me T-boning her. I don't know if she was drunk, although she did looked confused; in my rearview mirror I saw her pull off to the side, and then drive up the shoulder to the off-ramp. I didn't get the plate number and was already past the exit, so there wasn't much point in calling the police.
I've certainly heard many times of people going the wrong way on the highway, but this was the first time I'd ever actually seen it happen, and I hope to hell it's the last time I ever do. I learned long ago to look as far ahead as possible on every road, and it's a rule that can save your life. Be careful out there, folks: there's danger around every corner.
