Every year in Louisiana and across the country, accidents in which drivers are driving the wrong way on divided highways happen. Many of these types of accidents are head-on collisions at high rates of speed, and they are thus much more likely to be fatal than are any other type of accident.
Because of the dangerous nature of these accidents, the National Transportation Safety Board has taken a special interest in them. According to the NTSB, these accidents are extremely serious when they occur, even though they account for only 3 percent of accidents overall.
Several states have conducted studies about wrong-way driving accidents. A study completed in Virginia found that people involved in wrong-way accidents were 27 times more likely to die in them. A similar study in California found a 12 times greater fatality rate. In Michigan, a study there found that the fatality rate for other types of accidents was 0.3 percent. For wrong-way accidents, fatalities occurred in 22 percent of the cases. Since about half of all of these cases involve drivers that are impaired by alcohol, the NTSB has issued recommendations that focus a lot of effort on drunk drivers.
Wrong-way car crashes can be much more catastrophic than other types of motor vehicle accidents. People who are struck by a wrong-way driver may be left with lifelong debilitating injuries. An injured victim may want to consult with a personal injury attorney. Legal counsel may review the facts of the case and then help by filing a lawsuit on the client’s behalf seeking damages from the responsible party or, if the wrong-way driver was killed, then from his or her estate.
