Auto Accident Regional Resources

Fremont California The Driver Sideswiped A Pickup Before Slamming Head-On Into A Minivan, Killing The Two Adults In Auto Accident

Wrong-Way Crashes Extremely Severe

Wrong-way crashes tend to be severe, resulting in a high proportion of deaths and serious injuries. A recent crash in southern California demonstrates this point.

On June 24, 2002, six people were killed and several seriously
injured when a van loaded with 27 suspected illegal immigrants drove into oncoming traffic with its headlights off on I-8 east of San Diego, sideswiping two cars before hitting an SUV head-on. The driver of the van was killed along with four of his passengers. The driver of the SUV also was killed and his passenger critically injured. In this single wrong-way crash, 31 people were taken to local hospitals for treatment, the largest trauma event San Diego hospitals faced in 2002.

DUI—One of the Main Culprits

Though law enforcement and traffic safety researchers do not fully understand exactly why and how drivers wind up going the wrong way on freeways, they do know many times alcohol and drugs play a major role. Of the 30 wrong-way crashes in the I-82 Yakima-to-Tri-Cities corridor study, for example, 15 were alcohol- or drug-related.

A 1989 California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) study, one of the most comprehensive wrong-way research projects to date, found that impaired drivers were involved in 59.4 percent of all wrong-way

crashes and a whopping 76.8 percent of fatal wrong-way crashes in the State from 1983 to 1987. Most wrong-way crashes, according to the study, happened at night, increasing significantly after 10 p.m. and peaking between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m., just after bars and other drinking establishments close in California.

One of the San Francisco Bay Area's worst Fourth of July holiday weekend crashes occurred just before midnight on July 6 when a suspected drunken driver drove the wrong-way with his headlights off on the Dumbarton Bridge (Hwy. 84) in Fremont. The driver sideswiped a pickup before slamming head-on into a minivan, killing the two adults in the front seats and seriously injuring two children riding in the back seat.

At the time of the report, the California Highway Patrol was still investigating how the driver, despite a concrete barrier separating opposing traffic, got onto the bridge going the wrong way. The driver was charged with vehicular manslaughter, felony drunken driving, and felony hit-and-run.

Wrong-Way Remedies

Though law enforcement and traffic safety experts suspect drunken driving is the main cause of wrong-way crashes, State DOTs are looking at several possible preventative measures. In addition to using the latest in ITS technology, State DOTs have experimented with high-intensity reflective sheeting for signs and thermoplastic, Methyl Methacrolate, and preformed cold-applied-tape wrong-way arrows, all of which are more visible to drivers, including impaired, disoriented, or confused drivers.

In the mid-1970s, Caltrans experimented with using red runway-type pavement lights to warn wrong-way drivers in the San Diego area. The pavement lights proved effective in reducing wrong-way movements, but because the equipment was costly to install, about $10,000 for each unit, and required constant maintenance, the project was discontinued.

Ramp and Interchange Design

The author of the Caltrans study, Joyce E. Copelan, a civil engineer and 18-year Caltrans veteran, examined the role that freeway ramp and interchange designs play in wrong-way movements. Although interchange design is not considered the primary cause of wrong-way crashes, Copelan found that certain interchange types tend to be more susceptible to wrong-way movements than others. For example, trumpet interchanges and buttonhook ramps are the most susceptible to wrong-way movements, while full cloverleaf and full diamond interchanges seldom have problems.

Spikes and Other Barriers

Shortly after Klotz died in the Snoqualmie, WA, wrong-way crash mentioned earlier, her father, Duane Klotz, called for the State to install slanted spikes that puncture the tires of wrong-way vehicles. Unfortunately, spikes and other types of devices that physically prevent wrong-way entries onto freeways have been impractical and, in some cases, caused more problems than they solved. Parking-lot spike barriers were tested in California in 1965 to determine if they could be used at off-ramps to stop wrong-way vehicles. As it turned out, spikes, even when modified with a fishhook shape, did not cause tires to deflate fast enough to prevent a vehicle from entering the freeway.

Furthermore, the spikes broke in heavy traffic, leaving stubs that damaged the tires of right-way vehicles. Some right-way drivers, upon seeing the spikes, jammed on their brakes, thus creating additional hazards.

In her 1989 Caltrans study, Copelan sent a questionnaire to chief traffic engineers in all 50 State DOTs to find out what each State is doing to reduce wrong-way crashes. She received replies from 40, and none supported using parking-lot spikes, barriers, raised curbs, or similar devices.

MUTCD Adequate for Signs

In the same survey, most traffic engineers agreed that the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) is adequate for wrong-way markings. Some States have exceeded MUTCD recommendations by installing a second set of "Wrong
Way, Do Not Enter" signs farther down the ramp at problem interchanges to give drivers a second chance to realize their mistake.

One of the study's most useful tools is Copelan's "Check List for Wrong-Way Entry Review," in Appendix A of the report, which traffic engineers can use to evaluate and improve interchanges. The check list takes the reader through a 13-part review process that includes such items as reviewing pertinent accident data, inspecting ramps during both daylight and night time conditions, checking signs, evaluating ramp openings, and taking steps to deal with recurring problems. You can obtain a copy of the report at www.dot.ca.gov/hq/traffops/survey/iptest.html.

"The decrease in the allowable blood alcohol limit from 0.10 to 0.08 plus the check list helped us [Caltrans] significantly reduce wrong-way accidents after the report was introduced and implemented," Copelan says. "What's really important is we all need to work together to prevent wrong-way accidents."

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