Whenever I read about another wrong-way interstate highway accident I ask myself a question. Was it booze or drugs, old age, sign pollution, improper sign wording, a language issue, a lighting issue, being in a hurry, being distracted or just inattentiveness that causes someone to turn the wrong way? I’m not talking about falling asleep or a sudden medical condition or any of the causes that makes someone simply cross the center line on an undivided highway. I’m talking about a divided highway where a person turns left rather then continues across the median strip before turning.

More often than I think most people would like to believe there are wrong-way collisions where two or more cars collide, with one driving the wrong way on the Interstate. The interstate highways here in Iowa are I- 80, I-235, I-380 and I-35. In the recent past, to name a few, there have been wrong-way collisions in Richmond, California, Salem, Oregon and Iowa on I-80.

Like accidents from running a stop sign this issue has come up a few times in my practice and each time it puzzles me. You would think no one could purposefully turn and drive the wrong way against traffic, but  they do.  For the next few days let’s look at wrong-way collisions.

A Persistent Problem

Driving the wrong way on freeways has been a nagging traffic safety problem since the interstate highway system was first developed in the late 1950s. Despite four decades of highway striping and sign improvements at freeway interchanges, the problem persists.

Studies, such as one performed by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), show the vast majority of wrong-way drivers correct their mistakes before causing a crash by simply turning around and heading in the right direction. But for unknown reasons some drivers, even when sober, head straight into oncoming traffic with devastating consequences.

The numbers seem to be climbing. One of the first studies showed that on average about 350 people were killed each year nationwide in wrong-way freeway crashes. That was according to an analysis by retired FHWA traffic engineer Dennis Eckhart using the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Fatal Accident Reporting System. The 350 figure covers those killed on divided highways, including driving the wrong way on one-way traffic ways such as freeway ramps. From 1996 through 2000, 1,753 people died in wrong-way crashes on the Nation's freeways, according to Eckhart's analysis. Thousands more are injured.

"While there are safety programs exclusively for rail crossings and work zones," says Eckhart, "I am not aware of any national-level program to combat the wrong-way problem. However, at the State level, some States such as California do have a wrong-way prevention program that funds safety improvements." State departments of transportation (DOT) across the country have taken additional measures to improve ramp designs, signage, and striping to prevent wrong-way incidents. Other States are experimenting with intelligent transportation system (ITS) technology to address the problem.”

            U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Sept/Oct. 2002

If the issue is intoxication or simply a refusal to follow the rules-of-the-road then there is little we can do, but to punish and punish severely. If it’s the sign and the words used then it should be somewhat obvious from what the drivers tell us. And in that instance the DOT needs to correct the problem. If it’s sign pollution, with too many signs causing driver confusion, then the DOT and municipalities need to act by restricting signs. If the issue is the soccer Mom syndrome with rushing around to too many places while talking on the cell phone while the kids watch a movie on the DVD player, then it’s the driver’s fault for doing too many things and being distracted. Same goes for the teenager who is too busy texting to pay attention to the traffic conditions. Old age is just a natural condition of living long enough that human capital wears out. That’s a licensing issue for the DOT.

One possible solution to the ghost drivers…

Germany came up with an interesting solution used on the autobahn. They call the ghost drivers who trigger a radio announcement that interrupts your radio to warn the driver.

“Perhaps the best solution would be to follow Germany’s model:  Wrong-way drivers on the autobahn ("ghost drivers") trigger a radio announcement that interrupts whatever you’re listening to, warning you of the situation and that car’s approximate location. That way, you can pull off onto the shoulder and keep a close eye out for someone coming from the opposite direction at well over 100 mph on your side of the road.”

For this week I'd like to cover wrong-way accidents in America. Join me as we examine the accidents and individual causes. Put on your seatbelt because this is going to be a wild ride.