Most wrong-way crashes involve alcohol

Have you ever seen a car going the wrong way down the highway? It’s a terrifying sight, even if it’s not in your lane when it happens. You know instantly that something is very wrong and that a lot of people are in significant danger.

But why does it happen? The road systems, especially on the interstate, make it very obvious which way you’re supposed to drive. On top of that, the other traffic makes it just as obvious even when someone happens to get on the road going the wrong way. It’s just a mistake that shouldn’t happen, a type of crash no one should ever experience.

But it does happen to hundreds of people every year. And you do have cases with drivers who just got confused on unfamiliar roads. You may also have some who drive the wrong way intentionally, perhaps after missing an exit.

But, in most cases, the cause is the same: Alcohol. According to the Pew Research Center, around 60% of these accidents involve intoxication on the part of the wrong-way drivers.

It makes sense. Drivers may be so drunk that they don’t remember driving the next day, even when they don’t get into an accident. They may make mistakes they would never make sober. We think that it’s obvious which direction you’re supposed to drive, and it is, but an impaired person does not always grasp even the most obvious of instructions. It only takes a few seconds of confusion for a mistake like this to result in a crash.

If you get injured in an accident, make sure you know how to seek compensation.