There are a handful of different reasons why drivers may end up going the wrong way down the road. Maybe the driver just got confused because they are very young and they don’t have much experience. Perhaps the driver is relatively old and dealing with a degenerative brain disease that makes it harder for them to drive safely. Or perhaps it’s just dark outside, the driver couldn’t see well, and they got confused about where they were supposed to turn.
But the top reason for wrong-way accidents, especially on the interstate, is driver impairment. This usually comes from drunk driving – alcohol impairment – but these accidents could also happen due to impairment from prescription medications or illegal drugs.
What does this mean about wrong-way drivers?
Because they are impaired, this means that many wrong-way drivers have no idea that they’ve made a mistake. They think they are driving safely and correctly. That’s why they continue going in the wrong direction until they cause an accident. It hasn’t even dawned on them that they are putting everyone else on the road in serious danger.
As such, one of the best things that you can do to stay safe is to drive in the right lane on a two-lane highway. After all, a potential wrong-way driver would think that your left lane was actually their right-hand lane. You often don’t have much reaction time when you see a wrong-way driver coming toward you, so already being in the other lane is highly beneficial.
That said, these are very sudden and violent collisions that you can’t always avoid. If someone else caused the crash, you may be able to seek financial compensation.