Wrong-way accidents sometimes happen on small city streets just because drivers get confused. The speed limit may be fairly low, at 25 or 35 miles an hour. Drivers are often able to stop in time when they see someone who has mistakenly turned the wrong way down the street, and some minor accidents do happen.
But where many of the major wrong-way accidents occur is on the interstate. When a driver begins, heading down the interstate in the wrong direction, they may be traveling at 70 miles an hour or more directly toward cars that are moving at the same speed. The combined speed of 140 miles an hour results in a catastrophic collision, and it also means that everything happens incredibly quickly. Drivers do not have time to react.
So why do drivers make these mistakes? It’s easy to see why an accident like this is so serious, but why does it happen? Anyone who has driven on the interstate knows that there are numerous signs explaining which ramps to use and in which direction traffic is supposed to be moving. It feels like these wrong-way accidents should never happen, and yet they do.
The problem, some reports have found, is usually alcohol. Drivers who are impaired by alcohol make mistakes that they would not have made if they were sober. They may drive up an offramp without noticing the wrong-way signs. Some drivers may even have no recollection of the event at all because they had blacked out, but they were still physically able to maneuver their vehicle – right up until the accident.
As long as drunk driving is a problem, these dangerous wrong-way accidents will continue. Those who have been injured or lost loved ones need to know what legal options they have.
