One way that car accidents happen is when people drive the wrong direction on the interstate. This is different from an accident on a two-lane road, where someone may simply drift over the center line during a moment of distraction. This type of driver, on the interstate highway system, has entered that highway in the wrong lanes and is proceeding against the flow of traffic.
Naturally, even just thinking about this happening may be a bit surprising to you. You know how many signs there are telling drivers not to go the wrong direction and you know that they must have driven the wrong way up a ramp just to enter the road at all. It seems nearly unfathomable, but it happens year in and year out. Why does it keep occurring?
Drivers are impaired
The major reason for this is impairment. A driver who is impaired is going to make mistakes that do not make logical sense, such as entering the highway via an off-ramp and driving in the wrong direction, despite all of the signs and the road design itself. This level of impairment can come from everything from medical marijuana to alcohol to illegal drugs or even prescription medication.
There are other reasons for wrong-way accidents that will sometimes show up in rare situations. For instance, a young driver may honestly get confused about which ramp they’re supposed to use just because they lack experience. But things like this are far less common, and the confused driver is far more likely to quickly realize their mistake than someone who is under the influence.
Have you been injured?
If you’ve been involved in an accident caused by an impaired driver, take the time to look into all of your legal options.
