Wrong Way Crashes In Florida Frequently Caused by Drunk Driving
Although they occur infrequently, wrong way crashes, in which a driver is improperly driving against traffic on the wrong side of the road, are some of the most deadly and destructive car accidents. According to the NTHSA there were almost 400 such crashes during the past 5 years.
As personal injury lawyers representing injured victims of deadly car accidents, we are saddened, but not surprised, by the Florida Highway Patrol’s determination that drunk driving played a significant role in the 22 such collisions in Ft. Lauderdale and Palm Beach over the past 5 years. Even though roads are designed with various warnings, drunk drivers are often too impaired to notice them. Thankfully many of the at fault drivers being convicted of drunk driving.
As engineers continue to develop roadway systems which activate when a driver enters a roadway in the wrong direction, we hope such advances in technology will make our roads safer by reducing these deadly crashes. Of course, greater use of ignitiion locks on prior drunk driving offender’s vehicles can only help remedy this deadly problem.