In theory, drivers should never get into a head-on collision that is the result of a wrong-way accident. On smaller city streets, they simply need to pay attention to signage to determine which direction to drive. On the interstate, there’s an entire system of on-ramps and exit ramps that help to direct traffic and keep it moving in the same direction. This is one of the reasons the interstate is so safe.
Even so, there are wrong-way accidents every year. When this happens on the interstate, they’re especially devastating and more likely to be deadly. Head-on collisions are already exceedingly dangerous, but a crash on the interstate takes place at extremely high speeds.
But you can see how the road design is set up to prevent this, so why do these accidents happen?
Driver impairment
In some cases, drivers are either very young and lacking in experience or very old and suffering from mental confusion and cognitive disorders. In other words, it could be an honest mistake, especially for drivers in these age groups.
But the reason that most of these accidents happen is simply because drivers themselves are impaired. They may be firmly in the middle age group, so they should have plenty of experience and no health concerns to worry about. But impairment by alcohol – and, to a lesser degree, other drugs and substances – keeps leading to wrong-way accidents. Impaired drivers are simply going to make critical errors that they would never make otherwise, and those are going to lead to car accidents.
Have you lost a loved one in one of these crashes or perhaps suffered serious injuries yourself? If so, take the time to carefully consider all of your legal options to seek compensation.