Investigation of the Prevalence of Wrong-Way Driving

Wrong-way driving continues to an area of significant concern across the United States, with crashes resulting from wrong-way travel exhibiting injury and fatality rates that are significantly greater than other types of crashes. To date, the majority of research in this area has focused predominantly on high-speed divided highways. This study presents broader coverage of characteristics associated with wrong-way driving events. A statewide review of wrong-way driving crashes was conducted, which used a combination of standard codes from crash report forms, in combination with the narrative section completed by the investigating officer. The resulting crash data is reviewed to provide insights as to the driver, roadway, and environmental factors associated with wrong-way driving. A review of historical video and 911 call data provides additional insights into patterns of wrong-way driving along a rural expressway that includes a combination of grade-separated ramps and at-grade intersections. Details are also presented as to important issues, such as the type of entry points leading to the wrong-way events and the typical distance traveled by drivers during the course of such an event.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper was sponsored by TRB committee AND10 Standing Committee on Vehicle User Characteristics.
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  ,    
• Authors:
  • Cai, Qiuqi
  • Megat-Johari, Megat-Usamah
  • Abatan, Akinfolarin
  • Chawla, Hitesh
  • Kirsch, Trevor
  • Sorenson, Willy
  • Savolainen, Peter T
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Board 98th Annual Meeting
  • Location: Washington DC, United States
  • Date: 2019-1-13 to 2019-1-17
• Date: 2019

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 6p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Crash analysis; Data analysis; Highway design; Highway safety; Wrong way driving
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01697919
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 19-03743
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Mar 1 2019 3:51PM