In this instance, the wrong way driver was driving southbound in the northbound lanes of IH 35 at the Kyle Parkway exit. Unfortunately, the car hit a minivan, killing four occupants of the minivan and injuring two other children in the minivan. A third vehicle was also involved in the wreck. KXAN has a story on the wreck that I’m embedding below.
Wrong Way Driver Wrecks Happen More Often Than You Think
I feel like a broken record saying that it seems like these types of wrecks should never occur, but unfortunately, they’re all too frequent. I’ve been writing about these types of wrecks in the Austin area for years. I’m linking prior posts below that talk about ten or so of these wrecks in the last few years.
What Causes Wrong Way Driver Wrecks?
These types of wrecks often share a few common characteristics: they almost always occur at night and they almost always involve the use of alcohol and/or drugs.
Another factor in daytime wrong way driver wrecks is the age of the driver. Daytime wrecks are much more likely to be caused young drivers (those without much driving experience) and elderly drivers (who might be confused by complicated on-ramp designs).
What Can Be Done To Prevent Wrong Way Driver Wrecks?
One of the reasons that these wrecks are so tragic is that there is often very little that the victim driver can do. Obviously, if you see someone driving the wrong way, the safest thing to do is pull all the way over. But frequently, there isn’t enough warning to do that.
From a road design standpoint, road designers can help by better on-ramp design. A common factor in these wrecks is that impaired drivers get on the highway at confusing on-ramps.
A second thing that road designers can do is to lower the “wrong way” signs on the ramps. Studies have shown that lowering the signs to eye level for most drivers is an effective way to help reduce these wrecks.
Additional Information On Wrong Way Driver Wrecks
For more information, refer to some of my many other posts on wrong way driver wrecks.
The post Another Central Texas Wrong Way Driver Wreck first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>
Sadly, this type of thing happens way too frequently. It seems like this should be a scenario that never plays out. But over the years, Austin has seen a number of wrecks where this happens. While I’ve written on these types of wrecks for years, the frequency really hit home when my wife called me one morning telling me that she was shaken up and pulled off the road because a driver crossed the median of IH 35 and almost hit her head on.
But that was an unusual situation. Yesterday’s wreck had the two main hallmarks of most wrong way crashes: (1) alcohol is involved; and (2) the wreck happened in the wee hours of the day.
Sadly, these wrecks are almost always serious because of the nature of head on collisions and the fact that there is almost nothing a victim can do to avoid the wrecks.
However, there are some actions that road designers can take to make these types of wrecks less likely to occur. I’ve written extensively about these potential solutions, and you can find those articles by searching this site.
The post Another Fatal Austin Wrong Way Driving Wreck first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>When a wreck like this happens, you may ask how it’s possible to be driving the wrong way on a highway. But the unfortunate reality is that these wrong-way wrecks happen far too frequently.
For example, earlier this month, teens headed to Austin were killed in a wrong way crash on I30 in Greenville, near Dallas.
In June, an Austin woman was killed in a wrong way wreck on Ben White Boulevard.
In May, two people were killed in a wrong way wreck on Parmer Lane.
In fact, this is a subject that I’ve studied and written about frequently. Some of my posts on wrong way crashes include:
Most of these wrong way crashes share two characteristics. First, most occur at night. Second, most involve alcohol or drug use.
There are several things that can be done to try and minimize the risks of these wrecks, especially on highways.
Better entrance ramp designs. A core issue in these wrecks are confusing on-ramps and off-ramps. For example, here in Austin, Ben White Boulevard is a common site of wrong-way wrecks. That is probably not surprising given that the on-ramps near Ben White and Lamar Boulevard are some of the most confusing in the city. Making on-ramps and off-ramps simple help reduce these wrecks.
Lowering traffic signs. The data shows that “wrong way” signs are more effective when they are at the driver’s line of sight. These signs should be lowered more than typical street signs.
If you want to learn more about wrong-way wrecks, the Texas Transportation Institute has an interesting report on wrong way driving.
The post Another Wrong Way Crash In Austin first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>Using data from the Texas Department of Transportation, they’ve mapped over 1,400 wrecks to come up with this map. Not only does the map show the location for the wrecks, but it also provides statistics on what roads have the most wrecks, and it allows you to see the Google Street View shot for each wreck location.
So what streets are most dangerous for Austin cyclists: Guadalupe Street, South Congress Avenue, IH 35, North Lamar, South First Street, and East Riverside Drive.
The post Where Are Most Of Austin’s Bicycle Wrecks? first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>