BOZEMAN — I'm hearing from someone whose quick thinking helped prevent another wrong-way driver from getting onto I-90 in Gallatin County.
"You know, it’s tough—that a lot of us locals don’t understand why it’s occurring so frequently," says Jeffrey Smith, a Bozeman native.
"I just saw the person getting on in the wrong direction. And I just happened to be at the right place at the right time," he says.
Smith was exiting I-90 at the 19th Avenue exit when he came face to face with a wrong-way driver.
"I had enough room for me to be able to maneuver my truck and be able to block their entrance. At the end of the day, I just didn’t want to see someone get hurt," says Smith.
He says the car, displaying an out-of-state plate, quickly realized their mistake and turned back around on the exit ramp.
"That leads me to believe she was just not familiar with our roads. Maybe wasn’t paying close attention as she was making her turn right there," he says.
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Smith says growing up in the area, he never heard of many wrong-way drivers. But in 2024, more than two dozen wrong-way drivers have been reported, including three fatalities.
He says, "This is a really busy area; it’s growing really fast. So with that, I think you start seeing a lot more weird things when it comes to accidents and wrong-way drivers."
Now having a teenager on the road with a learner’s permit, Jeffrey says he’s had to teach his daughter about what to do when faced with a wrong-way driver.
"And that's something when I was younger, I would’ve never thought I would have to teach my kids about. But it happens too often—even myself, I've seen two wrong-way drivers in this exact spot getting on the interstate."
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Jeffrey says he doesn’t think there are any easy solutions but suggests altering that exit to not allow left turns.
And as we previously reported, Gallatin County Sheriff Dan Springer says updated signage on the exits has been working.
"We've got pretty good signage up. We have seen that it makes a difference. We notice that cars are turning around as they get to the flashing red lights. It's not the answer, but it's helpful,” says Springer.
And Jeffrey tells drivers, "If you’re distracted, you may be the wrong-way driver one day. Or you could be a victim of a wrong-way driver if you don’t see them approaching you. So I think it’s good to put your electronics down, pay attention to the roads, and just be proactive in being safe while you’re driving."
