Wrong way interstate driving for September 26, 2011

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9/26/2011
Steve Lombardi
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Wrong way interstate driving for September 26, 2011

Wrong-way driver arrested after leading police on chase on Highway 17
San Jose Mercury News
A California Highway Patrol, unaware of the incident, observed Zavala Herrera driving the wrong way on the highway, and then causing several vehicles to swerve to avoid colliding. The officer began following Zavala Herrera, who began driving between ...

Elderly Wrong Way Driver Arrested For DWI In Hamptons
myfoxny.com
COM - New York State Police troopers arrested a wrong way driver on Sunrise highway in the Hampton Bays area on drunk driving charges. Troopers responded to a 9-1-1 call from an off-duty Southampton Town police officer about a wrong way driver.

Elderly Wrong Way Driver Arrested For DWI In Hamptons
myfoxny.com
COM - New York State Police troopers arrested a wrong way driver on Sunrise highway in the Hampton Bays area on drunk driving charges. Troopers responded to a 9-1-1 call from an off-duty Southampton Town police officer about a wrong way driver.

Police Investigate If Wrong-Way Driver To Blame For Fatal 28 Crash ...
Investigators are trying to figure out what caused a fatal car accident that closed down part of Route 28 for hours.

CHP: Wrong-Way Driver On Highway 17 Hit 3 Cars - Central Coast ...
SCOTTS VALLEY, Calif. -- A 24-year-old Watsonville man drove the wrong-way on Highway 17 near the summit Wednesday and lead officers on a chase, the California Highway Patrol said. Wednesday, September 14, 2011.

State Police Arrest Wrong Way Driver
Patch.com
By Erica Jackson Early Friday morning New York State Troopers charged a Southampton man with DWI after catching him driving the wrong way on Sunrise Highway in Hampton Bays. Police say at around 12:30 am John F. Jensen, 72 of Hampton Bays was nabbed ...

Wrong way driver sets off string of crashes on HWY 41
ABC30.com
One at the Jensen on-ramp, another the at Van Ness ramp, and a third at the Highway 180 interchange. Joseph Bianchi with the Highway Patrol said all three collisions were relatively minor and there were no major injuries. Wrong way driver sets off ...

Wrong-way driver escapes fiery crash alive
Examiner.com
A wrong-way driver narrowly escaped with his life following a fiery crash that shut down a major Palo Alto thoroughfare early Sunday morning. Palo Alto police say one of their patrol officers was headed south on Alma Street approaching Oregon ...

Police send wrong-way driver to hospital
Niagara Advance
CATHARINES - Niagara OPP said an elderly man suffering from diabetic shock was taken to hospital Saturday night, after driving several kilometres against traffic on the QEW. OPP Sgt. Jim Cook said the first reports of a wrong-way driver came in at 7:43 ...

Wrong-way driver dies in fiery I-5 crash near Woodland
KATU
Washington State Patrol troopers say the driver of a car, identified Wednesday as Jesse Finch, 25, was going the wrong direction in the southbound lanes on I-5 at about 2:45 am when the 1999 Camry hit a guard rail and caught fire. ...
Driver in Wrong Way Death Case Loses Appeal
Patch.com
Nassau County DA The wrong-way drunken driver who crashed head-on into a limousine, killing a 7-year-old Lido Beach girl and a limo's driver, has lost an appeal to overturn his murder conviction. By a 3-1 margin, the appeals court affirmed the ...

Anchorage police to arrest wrong-way driver
Houston Chronicle
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) â€" A driver from Washington state is expected to be arrested in connection with a wrong-way crash that badly injured an Anchorage police officer. Officer Randy Hughes sustained multiple fractures in the crash early Friday on the ...

Wrong-way driver heads straight into arrest on DUI charges: Medina Police Blotter
Sun Star Courier
When officers reached the vehicle, the driver, a 33-year-old Chippewa Lake man, was passed out at the wheel of the vehicle. Police arrested the man for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs and also driving with a previous OVI suspension. ...

Police: Wrong-way driver had just left Bentley's
Citizens Voice
By Bob Kalinowski (Staff Writer) The wrong-way driver killed last Wednesday in a head-on crash on Route 309 in Ashley had just left Bentley's of NEPA, a bar, restaurant and banquet facility nearby, Ashley police confirmed on Tuesday. ...

Man driving wrong way on I-25 crashes into car, killing himself and two others
Denver Post
People who drink or use drugs become disoriented and make simple mistakes like going the wrong way on the highway, he said. Troopers received a flurry of phone calls from drivers saying someone was driving the wrong way on I-25. ...

Drivers ignore rules at restricted bridges
Allentown Morning Call
A: What we have here, gentlemen, is not a failure to communicate, but a failure to enforce the traffic restrictions (although, in the case of Route 309, state police have responded to complaints about wrong-way drivers). Ron Roth of North Whitehall ...

Wrong-way driver among Freeway 60 dead
Inland Empire News
RIVERSIDE - A wrong-way driver was among three men killed in a late night head-on crash on Freeway 60. A CHP officer had attempted to stop their car for a traffic violation before it entered a freeway off-ramp. Moments later, it collided with a pickup ...

Driver travels several miles wrong way on Highway 41
Fond du Lac Reporter
TOWN of ELDORADO -- A woman was arrested in Fond du Lac County on charges of drunken driving after she drove several miles the wrong way on Highway 41 early today. Winnebago County Sheriff's Department dispatch received several reports about 1 am of a ...

Wrong-Way Crash Victim Honors Rescuers
KXLY
The Liberty Lake woman hit in April by a wrong-way driver has made leaps and bounds in her recovery, and is now honoring her EMT rescuers. KXLY4's Colleen O'Brien reports.

Driver going wrong way on I-64 today
Carmi Times
By Anonymous A young Carmi man was charged with drunken driving after his vehicle was stopped going the wrong way on Interstate 64 early Tuesday morning, the White County Sheriff's Office reported. Alexander M. Hetzel, 22, 1596 County Road 1100 East, ...

Woman faces intoxication charges after fatal wrong-way wreck
Austin American-Statesman
Traffic along Ben White Boulevard at Lamar Boulevard was at a standstill Thursday morning after a wrong-way, head-on collision between a sedan and a delivery truck. The drivers of the vehicles were injured; an unidentified passenger in the car was ...

Wrong-way driver from Marysville crashes into Alaskan trooper | 911 ...
An Anchorage police officer is hospitalized with severe injuries after a wrong-way driver collided with his patrol vehicle on a highway. Police say officer Randy ...

forum.419eater.com :: View topic - wrong way driver caught in UK ...
A 419Eater member wrote: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2034686/M5- Wrong-way-driver-Deborah-Hunt-jailed.html after reading the news, it remind ...

Category: Wrong-way Interstate and Highway Collisions in Iowa

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.