In Connecticut, wrong-way driving crashes are a leading cause of head-on crashes. Connecticut Department of Transportation defines wrong-way crashes as accidents that occur "when a motorist enters the Interstate Highway in the wrong direction."
Between 2009 and 2011 in Connecticut, an estimated five fatalities and 38 injuries occurred annually because of wrong-way drivers. With these fatality and injury numbers, Connecticut has a higher rate of people dying in wrong-way car crashes on interstates during this period of time than the national average rate. In Connecticut, wrong-way crashes on the interstate accounted for nine percent of fatalities while the national average was 6.4.
Understanding the causes of wrong-way crashes is important so they can be prevented. Connecticut has identified an approach that uses the 4 E's to target top causes of wrong-way crashes.
What are the Top Causes of Head-On Crashes?
Top causes of wrong-way crashes include impaired drivers operating vehicles, and older drivers operating vehicles. Most of these accidents happen at night, and some wrong-way collisions happen as a result of poor visibility, intoxication, age-related impairment, and general driver confusion.
Connecticut's approach aims to target all of the common wrong-way crash causes through the four E's which stand for:
- Engineering: Engineering is focused on providing safe ramps to enter and to exit highways. The goal is to minimize confusion for motorists, especially senior drivers who may have age-related cognitive decline.
- Enforcement: Enforcement is aimed at preventing impaired drivers from causing collisions. Estimates from National Transportation Safety Board indicate around 60 percent of all wrong-way accidents involve drivers who are drunk. With more police on the roads and better enforcement of drunk driving laws, hopefully motorists who are impaired can be caught before they get on the highway going the wrong way.
- Education: Education provides information to the public, and in particular to seniors who may need extra assistance learning how to safely navigate highway entrance ramps.
- Emergency Medical Services : Emergency medical service is focused on helping EMS teams to develop efficient plans to respond in case a wrong-way crash occurs. It is often difficult for emergency medical personnel to quickly get to the scene to assist victims of wrong-way accidents.
Connecticut is also upgrading signing and pavement markings in order to help ensure motorists are more aware of what direction they need to go in order to enter a highway. The project involves inventorying existing sign locations and pavement markings and reviewing the geometric design of each highway exit ramp.
New signs and pavement markings will be installed, including highly retro-reflective signs, so these ramps are more clearly marked and so drivers can better see when they are going in the wrong direction. Sign posts will also use red delineator strips so they become even more visible, while new pavement markings will also be designed to increase visibility and to provide more guidance in how motorists can get onto highways.