The Countermeasures against Wrong Way Accidents
Wrong way accidents are not as common as other types of crashes. Yet, what they lack in frequency, they make up for in devastating consequences. Since wrong way collisions often occur when two cars hit head-on, the likelihood of death or an incapacitating injury is likely. These accidents often occur in the early dawn hours on Texas roads while drivers are impaired by alcohol. Wrong way accidents are 60 percent more likely to occur in major metropolitan areas, such as San Antonio and Dallas-Fort Worth, than in rural areas.
Texas’s Department of Transportation, or TxDOT, knows that wrong way accidents are an epidemic in Texas. There is a particular fifteen mile section of US 281 were the highest number of wrong way accidents in Texas occurred last year. The stretch is between Stone Oak Parkway and Interstate 35. In 2012, TxDOT created a test program to stop people from driving the wrong way on highways. They installed flashing wrong way signs and radar devices which alert the San Antonio Police Department. That May, fifteen wrong way drivers were stopped by the police before any crash occurred.
Given the success of the initial stage of this program, TxDOT plans to expand the protected area. New signs are scheduled to be installed on the northeast side of Interstate 35 and on two different stretches of Interstate 10. TxDOT San Antonio spokeswoman Laura Lopez said that “as we start to have new projects that are under construction, we will add the wrong-way-driver signs to those projects.”
Texas is trying to make the highways safer. Given the dangers of wrong way drivers, it is important to be vigilant. But if you or a loved one are in a crash with a wrong way driver then you can seek compensation. It is unfair to have to pay medical bills and other expenses due to the negligence of a third party. Contact an experienced personal injury attorney in San Antonio to review your case today.
