More wrong-way interstate highway crashes for August 23, 2011

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8/23/2011
Steve Lombardi
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More wrong-way interstate highway crashes for August 23, 2011

Prescription Drugs - The first story is an old one from Iowa and the wrong way on Interstate 29 near North Sioux City from February 2010. In this instance the reported contributing factors include a reaction to prescription drugs.

Drunk Driver - The next wrong-way accident is reported to be caused by drinking alcohol and driving. This is the number one cause.
Killeen, Texas wrong-way - No cause identified.
Boulder, Colorado - Likely cause is reported to be drunk driving.
Intentionally driving the wrong-way to avoid the police is the next wrong-way out of the United Kingdom. High speed chase ensured.
Snohomish County, Washington, USA - drunk driving is the reported cause.

Cumberland County, PA - In this report the driver of the wrong-way car attempted to elude police, a chase ensued and the driver intentionally drove the wrong-way. It all started when officers attempted to initiate a simple traffic stop.
I-29 collison caused by wrong-way driver
Sioux City Journal
None of the people involved in the crashes have been identified, but Wisler said the driver of the southbound vehicle was impaired, reportedly with a reaction to prescription drugs. Wisler said the man's vehicle initially collided with a vehicle with ...
Wrong Way Driver Causes Crash
FOX2now.com
A wrong way driver on Highway 40 causes a nasty crash overnight in Chesterfield. It left one person seriously hurt and the Missouri Highway Patrol says the wrong-way driver was likely drunk. The eastbound lanes of 40 around Timberlake Manor Parkway in ...
Wrong-Way Driver Dies After Early Morning Crash On Busy Local Highway
KWTX
A 24-year-old man who was a passenger in the Dodge was taken to Metroplex Hospital in Killeen with what police said were minor injuries. The driver of the Nissan was also flown to Scott & White where he was awaiting surgery Saturday morning.
Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle arrests suspect in wrong-way driver case on ...
Daily Camera
According to the Sheriff's Office, a man in an SUV rammed several cars and went the wrong way on the Diagonal. Two good Samaritans pinned in the driver, and Pelle responded as the first law enforcement officer on the scene. ...
Driver in 120mph 'wrong way' chase
The Sun
The clip shows Mark Jones, 28, speeding the wrong way down a stretch of the M1, ramming others cars and mounting the curb several times. Cops have said this was "one of the worst cases of dangerous driving" they have seen. The chase began when police ...
Wrong-way driver causes 5-car crash in S. Snohomish Co.
KOMO News
A wrong-way driver triggered a five-car crash on State Route 524 in South Snohomish County on Wednesday. Two cars behind the hit car could not stop in time and also crashed, the trooper said. The wrong-way driver then swerved into the eastbound lanes ...
Wrong Way Driver Dies after Crashing during Police Chase in Cumberland County
FOX43.com
... out near the intersection of Hanover and South Streets. When the officer initiated a traffic stop the driver took off. Investigators say the 25 year old male victim ran through several stop signs and fled down a one way street going the wrong way.
Elderly man drives wrong way for 9 miles on I-5 near Roseburg
KMTR NewsSource 16
Troopers were also trying to warn driver's ahead to move over to prevent any possible crashes. "Amazingly, no crashes were caused by the wrong way driver," said Randall. WARE continued driving northbound until OSP deployed spike strips flattening two ...
Family makes plea after son killed by drunken driver
KARE
Just before midnight on April 19, Jason was driving on Interstate 94 near Lowry when a wrong-way driver crashed into him head-on. Tests later concluded the wrong-way driver -- 49-year-old Reginald White -- had a blood alcohol level that was three times ...
Driver going wrong way injures 5 on 32nd Avenue South
Grand Forks Herald
The Trailblazer first crashed into the driver's side of a 2005 Chevy Equinox with Meloni Smith, 48, Williston, ND, at the wheel and two passengers. Then it crashed into a 1995 Chevy passenger car driven by Sarah Bennett, Grand Forks.
Roseburg man drives 9 miles wrong way on Interstate 5 before ...
By Joseph Rose, The Oregonian
"Amazingly, no crashes were caused by the wrong way driver," Randall said. Ware drove northbound until troopers deployed spike strips flattening two right side tires on the pickup at milepost 135 south of Sutherlin. ...
WHDH-TV - Wrong way driver causes chaos in Lynn
Wrong way driver causes chaos in Lynn. ... An overnight accident involving a wrong-way driver in Lynn made for a crashing end to a damaging ride. ...
Spotlight News: Police: Wrong way driver caused thruway crash
Police: Wrong way driver caused thruway crash. John Purcell 08/15/11 More articles. State Police are investigating a three car personal injury accident on ...

Category: Wrong-way Interstate and Highway Collisions in Iowa

Labels: attorney collisions death highway I-235 I-35 I-380 I-80 injury Interstate Iowa State Patrol lawyer Lombardi negligence reports safety wrong-way wrong-way collisions

Wrong-way drivers are causing deaths in America’s interstate highway system all across the United States. Wrong-way collisions can have several causes and there are things we can do to educate ourselves from being involved in one. With two vehicles traveling towards one another at 70 mph death is almost certain. So what can you do to avoid being in one?

For several months I’ve collected news items on wrong-way collisions and have analyzed where, when and how they occurred. There have been so many that I can only cover the month of July for 2009 and that is enough to provide us with 70 separate wrong-way collisions from hundreds of news stories. From these news reported collisions that here are the general causes and how we can avoid being one of those who die from a wrong-way driver coming towards us at 50 to 70 mph.

About wrong-way drivers

Wrong way drivers present an obvious danger to all motorists on our highways.

The most recent available crash statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration indicates wrong way drivers are involved in 1.5 percent of all fatal crashes.

Drivers who travel the wrong way on one way highways generally fall into one of our different categories:

Intoxicated driver
Older drivers who easily get confused
Purposeful acts including attempts to commit suicide and criminals attempting to elude the police
Inattentive drivers who mistake an off-ramp for an on-ramp
Mental defect or disease
Prescription drug intoxication
Inexperience
GPS providing incorrect, inaccurate or confusing information

Safety tips and information related to wrong way driver situations:

Watch far ahead for signs of a possible wrong way driver, looking for signs similar to pending problems or developing emergency situations such as other traffic braking or swerving to avoid something, or the obvious - headlights coming in the opposite direction.
Caution against driving long periods in the left lane on freeways, especially on curves and over a hill or any rise in the road where you aren’t able to clearly see ahead.
Be aware that wrong way drivers usually drive in the passing lane believing they are actually on a two-lane highway.
The most common types of wrong way crashes are head-on or sideswipe crashes.

What should you do if you see a wrong-way driver?

· Get to the shoulder and stop.

· If you can’t get to the shoulder, slow down and attempt to safely stop your vehicle by pulling to the right.

· Sound your horn.

· Put on your lights and flash the high beams.

· Call 9-1-1.

· Before getting in the car wear your seat belts.

· Drive in the right hand lane of travel on the Interstate.

· When passing or coming to the crest of a hill look ahead for a wrong-way driver making sure the lane is clear.

· Assume when in the left hand lane of a divided highway that you may come upon a wrong-way driver.

· When driving on a divided highway stay vigilant and pay attention to what is ahead of you. Avoid allowing distractions to take your attention off the road ahead.

How can drivers avoid wrong-way driving?

· Don’t drive drunk.

· When coming to a divided highway come to a complete stop, look at and read the signs, making sure you know which way to go.

· Don’t allow vehicles to the rear to rush you.

· Stay off the telephone when driving.

· Don’t allow distractions to interfere with being vigilant about your driving.

· If you’re a young driver, don’t drive when the other passengers are a distraction.

· If you’re an elderly driver, get evaluated once a year to see if your senses and skill level allow you to safely drive. Don’t be so stubborn about giving up your driver’s license that you ignore the signs of perception difficulties. Invest in and use a GPS.