Driving the wrong way down the road is not only incredibly dangerous. It is also hard to do. Most of the time at least.
When you enter a road there are generally signs to point you in the correct direction. There is often other traffic on the road already which alerts you to which direction you should be going. So why do some people get it wrong and cause catastrophic collisions?
Research shows 3 main reasons:
1. Alcohol
Alcohol impairment is to blame for 60% of wrong-way collisions. If a driver is drunk they aren’t necessarily thinking straight. They also are not as alert as normal. They might not notice the signs indicating which direction they should travel. They might not register the other traffic, or if they do, they might assume that it’s the other drivers who are in the wrong.
2. Driving alone
Reports show that 87% of people who crash when driving in the wrong direction are alone at the time. While most people drive alone without a problem, having someone in the car provides a backup if you were to head down a road in the wrong direction. If you don’t notice, they probably will, provided they are awake.
3. Age
Drivers do not suddenly start driving the wrong way once they reach a certain age. However, age can make some people less alert and more prone to confusion. It only takes one driver to get confused about which direction to drive for a crash to occur.
Whatever the reason a driver was traveling the wrong way, if they cause a crash and injure you, you’ll need to learn about your compensation options.
