Wrong-way driving accidents on highways aren’t particularly common, but they do happen, and when they do it is a scary situation for everyone involved. After all, vehicles travel at high speeds on divided highways, and the combination of little available reaction time plus a potential for a head-on collision means a chance of extremely severe injuries and a greater likelihood of fatalities.
But how do these accidents happen? There are about 350 people who die each year due to wrong-way driving. When you consider all the signage and safety measures implemented to make sure people drive the correct way, what are the primary causes of these accidents?
Here are just a few:
- Age: Drivers more than 70 years old are greatly overrepresented as being at fault in wrong-way accidents. This could be due to vision problems — the National Transportation Safety Board doesn’t provide any information about why older drivers are more at fault for these accidents, just that they are the age group most well represented as being at fault for them.
- Unfamiliarity with area: Most wrong-way accidents happen after a vehicle enters an exit ramp. This may be due to unclear signage, but it could also be a result of a driver’s unfamiliarity with a particular area.
- Intoxication: The majority of wrong-way accidents are caused by drunk drivers. Between 50 and 75 percent of wrong-way accidents are caused by drivers who are impaired by alcohol or drugs.
- Nights and weekends: Most wrong-way accidents occur on nights and weekends, which is probably due in large part to those being the times when drunk drivers are most likely to be on the road.
To get sound legal guidance after a serious car accident in Florida, contact an experienced Bradenton personal injury lawyer with Goldman, Babboni, Fernandez & Walsh.