GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — When someone encounters a wrong-way driver on a freeway, the distance between vehicles closes so fast, a driver has only a split-second to react. Many times, the result is a head-on collision, and sometimes someone dies.
The problem starts when a driver mistakes an ‘off’ ramp for an ‘on’ ramp.
Michigan State Police tells us that most of the time, that driver realizes their mistake and turns around. When a driver actually gets on the freeway going the wrong way, they “are usually driving impaired, under the influence,” notes MSP Sixth District Public Information Officer Spl/Lt. Michelle Robinson.
After a rash of wrong-way crashes on US-131 in Grand Rapids, the Michigan Department of Transportation used grant money to try to prevent wrong-way drivers. Starting in November 2023, three different kinds of “wrong-way” signs were installed at the end of exit ramps on US-131 between Ann Street and 28th Street.
“They seem to be working,” says John Richard, communications representative for MDOT’s Grand Region, which includes Kent County.
Crash records show that in 2023 there are four wrong-way crashes on US-131 between I-96 and 28th Street; three of them were head-on collisions.
From the beginning of 2024 up to publication of this article, there was just one, and it did not involve any other vehicles besides the wrong-way vehicle.
The data was provided by MSP to FOX 17 and comes from records kept by the MSP Criminal Justice Information Center.
That same data shows the section of 131 in question seems to be where the problem is the worst. In the rest of Kent County, there was only one wrong-way crash on another stretch of freeway, and one wrong-way crash on another freeway in 2024.
MDOT’s mitigation efforts involved installing three types of signs, all of them the familiar red, rectangular “wrong-way” signs. All of them appear to be bigger than usual. Some of them are just reflective signs, with more of them installed on the exit ramp. Some of them have a rim of bright, flashing, red lights. A few are tripped by sensors that not only flash when a wrong-way vehicle is detected but also notify the MDOT Traffic Operations Center in Grand Rapids. Personnel at the TOC then inform local law enforcement.
There are no immediate plans to expand the effort.
“We want to do more, but of course,” says Richard. But, “we have to address potholes and bridges and stuff like that first. So, these federal grants are very important to add these safety measures to these off ramps.”
The question comes to mind about what to do if you spot a wrong-way driver.
“The best option for you to do is just try to get out of their way,” Robinson says. That would mean getting out of the travel lane and to stop on the shoulder.
“Try to remain calm. And the quicker that you can call 911 to notify law enforcement that there is someone that is traveling in the wrong direction, the quicker that we can respond to them and get them turned back around or take other measures if they are operating under the influence.”
Be sure to call 911. Don’t be bashful.
“The 911 system would rather receive multiple calls on this rather than no calls at all,” Robinson emphasizes. "Try to get a description of the vehicle.”
“If you do see something, absolutely, say something.”
If you find that you are going the wrong way, says Robinson, “pull to the shoulder, put your hazard lights on, and ... turn yourself around if you safely can do that.”
In any case, she recommends, “be aware of your surroundings. Always expect the unexpected.”
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