Crossing the median between two opposing traffic lanes is against the rules of the road, and this action is apt to quickly result in a ticket should a police officer witness you performing it. A lot of people make U-turns over medians simply because they're impatient with slow traffic or realize that they forgot something and don't want to wait until the next intersection to make a proper turn. There may be a time, however, that you turn over the median because of a legitimate need to do so. Even if this action has resulted in a ticket, a local traffic ticket attorney may be able to get the charge dropped. Here are some necessity-focused defenses to use.
Traveling To The Hospital
While some people call the ambulance upon sustaining an injury, others drive themselves to the hospital or have a family member drive them. If you're in this situation, it's possible that you may choose to illegally turn across the median to avoid heavy traffic that is impeding your ability to get to the emergency room quickly. For example, if you have a family member with a bad cut and you're worried about him or her losing blood, making an illegal median crossing may be less of a worry than sitting helpless in a traffic jam.
Avoiding A Dangerous Driver
Dangerous drivers pose threats to motorists around them. If such a driver is near you, you may feel as though illegally crossing over the median and traveling in a different direction might be the best way for you to get away from this driver. There are all sorts of scenarios in which this situation could occur. For example, if someone is acting aggressively toward you because of something that happened — perhaps he or she feels that you stopped too abruptly in front of his or her vehicle — you could feel concerned for your safety and try to get away before the situation escalates.
Running Out Of Gas
It's a panicky feeling to look at your vehicle's gas gauge and realize that you're almost out of gas, especially if you're trapped in traffic and aren't sure how much time you have before the vehicle runs out. You might make the executive decision to cross the median into lighter traffic so that you can reach a gas station in a timely manner. In this scenario, your attorney could argue that running out of gas on a busy street would dramatically impact the traffic flow for your fellow motorists, and you made this decision to avoid this issue.
To learn more about these defenses, especially in your individual situation, contact lawyers like McFarland & Masters LLC.
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