DRIVERS filmed a bizarre moment when they encountered a small sedan reversing on some of the country’s most congested roads.
The videos show a red Chevy Aveo sedan traveling several miles along some of New York City’s most iconic roads.
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Drivers caught the Aveo driving south on FDR River Drive in initial video shared with SWNS and The New York Post Office.
A later photo captured the car leaving the Brooklyn Bridge exit and heading toward Brooklyn.
Eyewitness drivers were shocked by the brazen driving.
“I couldn’t believe it when I saw it,” said Victoria Metzger, 29, after driving past the U-turn sedan.
Metzger, an emergency medical technician, filmed the Aveo as it rolled down a Manhattan sidewalk.
The vehicle appeared to be advancing at a high rate of speed toward a car in reverse.
However, the vehicle was slower than most highway traffic.
The driver is seen in the video teaching over his right shoulder to look through the rear windshield.
“I couldn’t stay or follow for long because we were on our way to a call,” Metzger said.
“So I didn’t report it to the police.”
Maria Claro, 35, saw the car leaving the Brooklyn Bridge and heading towards Adams Street.
“I was speechless when I saw the car,” Claro said.
“After I stopped filming, the vehicle continued moving ahead.”
The drivers filmed the videos about five kilometers apart.
ON-FACE WARNINGS
Authorities in the New York area have warned drivers about the growing danger from wrong-way drivers.
Connecticut state officials said they have witnessed an increase in drivers going the wrong way on the highway.
Authorities said distracted drivers who disregard highway laws are to blame.
What defines ‘distracted driving’?
Distracted driving claims lives every year across the country and is 100% preventable
However, many drivers assume that distracted driving is limited to phone use behind the wheel.
While using a phone to text, call, email, browse or post on social media, and make or accept video calls is illegal nationwide, other behaviors can be just as disruptive — and dangerous.
Other behaviors that distract drivers:
- Adjusting the radio or GPS
- Applying makeup to rear view mirrors
- Eating and drinking, as you need to take one or both hands off the steering wheel
- Reaching into the backseat to retrieve personal items
- Rummaging through a bag, glove compartment, or center console
Fortunately, distracted driving can be avoided. Here are some proven tactics for staying focused:
- Put your phone on “Do Not Disturb” or “Driving Mode” as it temporarily pauses notifications but will send a call or text if it’s urgent
- If distractions are difficult to avoid, place your phone in a safe place, such as a purse, glove compartment, center console, or backseat
- If a text or call needs to be sent or made, stop and park
- Give your phone to a passenger, where applicable, to text or make a call
- Be a role model – practicing safe driving in front of impressionable passengers helps convey safe behaviors
Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Connecticut Department of Transportation
“That’s what’s happening on all interstate highways because it’s really blamed on drivers,” Josh Morgan, a spokesman for the state Department of Transportation, told Hartford Courant.
“It’s just that the cars are going too fast.”
The state has passed laws that strengthen its rules against wrong-way driving.
Drivers will now be fined more if they are caught entering the highway from an exit ramp.
Morgan added that several recent fatal wrong-way incidents were entirely preventable.
“[In] in many cases, people drive with difficulty,” he said.
“And that combination is leading to more accidents, more injuries and more deaths.”
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
