A previous post on this blog discussed a tragic wrong way accident that left two people dead. One point that was mentioned in this post was that wrong way driving, even on a major Interstate, is more common than one might believe.
There are a number of reasons why wrong way car crashes occur even though it has become standard to have warning signs and other safety devices on the roads. For example, the number of wrong way crashes that happen because the driver who drove the wrong way was under the influence of drugs or alcohol. When a person has been drinking or ingesting drugs, it may make even simple tasks like driving the correct direction on the road quite difficult.
Another feature worth noting is that drivers who are particularly young, under 25, and older, over 70, have a higher incidence of wrong way crashes.
This may be due to inexperience or risk-taking behavior. On the other end of the age spectrum, a person who is older may have a physical or mental limitation, including diminished eyesight, that make it more likely that the driver will get turned around on the freeway.
The fact that most of these types of accidents, when the end in a fatality, happen at night suggests also that environmental factors may be in play with respect to these types of accidents.
In any event, though, many of these accidents are preventable. For example, drivers on the freeway, particularly when it is nighttime, need to be sure that they are sober, alert and a fit condition to drive. Among the many bad things that can happen when a driver is not prepared to drive, a wrong way accident is one of the worst outcomes. Los Angeles victims of wrong way accidents, or their families, may be able to hold the responsible driver accountable by filling a personal injury or wrongful death case.