HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — The intersection of U.S. 301 and Gibsonton Drive is one of the busiest in the area, and it's a spot driver Sherika Dixon says she tries to avoid if she can.
“I’ve seen many near misses and accidents,” she said.
She’s not alone — data show the intersection sees a lot of crashes.
Dixon has a theory as to why: The setup for drivers making U-turns — drivers making U-turns are going at the same time other drivers are turning right into the same direction.
“You have people here making a U-turn and they are greeting drivers making a right, and they’re colliding," Dixon said. "Or having to stop."
She said this setup can also cause the busy left turn lanes to back up, even though there are signs in place telling drivers to yield to the those making a right turn.
Officials with the Florida Department of Transportation say the reason the intersection is set up this way is because more drivers turn right at the intersection than make a U-turn.
According to Florida law, drivers making a U-turn in this situation have to yield to traffic making a right turn, since those going right have a green arrow.
Officials say this would be different if drivers were going right on red, like at other intersections. In that case, drivers going right would yield to those making a U-turn.
Dixon said the distinction can be confusing.
“This is a bad situation,” she said. “I think they should not allow this turn here at the same time as this turn. Allow the U-turn traffic to move first and then allow the other traffic to afterwards.”
FDOT officials say there are some upcoming projects in the works to help with traffic flow. However, they say there are no plans to change the timing of the traffic lights for now.