If you’re driving on a small city street, a wrong-way driver could have just made a mistake. Maybe they didn’t realize they turned down a one-way. Maybe they’re a very young driver without much experience, and they just got confused.
But on the interstate, it really feels like there should never be wrong-way drivers. There aren’t intersections, and traffic can only enter the interstate at predetermined ramps. However, recent reports have noted that these wrong-way crashes have increased in frequency. So why are they happening?
Alcohol use
The top reason for a wrong-way accident is that the driver who is going the wrong direction had been drinking alcohol. This can lead to poor decision-making, a lack of mental clarity and other issues. For instance, an intoxicated driver may confuse the on-ramp and the off-ramp, not realizing their mistake until they’ve caused a crash.
Many of these accidents also happen at night. This can make it more difficult to see things like wrong-way signs telling a driver that they’ve chosen the wrong ramp. It also means that there is less traffic on the interstate. In the middle of the day, it may be hard for a driver to go the wrong way up an exit ramp simply because there would be a constant flow of cars coming toward them. But at night, the roads may be relatively empty, allowing a driver to get on the interstate and up to speed before they encounter another driver.
Regardless of why it happens, these are very devastating accidents, and injured parties need to know about all of their legal options to seek compensation.