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Traffic safety and highway design literature has historically defined a wrong-way driving (WWD) crash as one in which a vehicle traveling in a direction opposing the legal flow of traffic on a high-speed divided highway or access ramp collides with a vehicle traveling on the same roadway in the proper direction. This definition typically concerns only controlled-access highways (freeways) and associated entrance and exit ramps, and excludes crashes that result from median crossover encroachments.
In the United States, WWD crashes result in 300 to 400 people killed each year on average, representing approximately 1 percent of the total number of traffic related fatalities that occur annually. While this is a small percentage overall, because WWD crashes involve head-on or opposite direction sideswipe crashes at high speeds, they tend to be relatively more severe than other types of crashes. However, there are many strategies and treatments that agencies can consider for implementation that are designed to address wrong-way manuevers, ranging from geometric design elements, to conventional traffic control devices, to various ITS-based solutions.
Guidelines for Reducing Wrong-Way Crashes on Freeways (Illinois, 2014) [PDF]
Wrong-Way Driving – Road Safety Audit Prompt List (FHWA, 2013) [HTML] [PDF]
Wrong-Way Driving Special Investigation Report (SIR-12/01) (National Transportation Safety Board, 2012) [PDF]
Emerging Safety Countermeasures for Wrong-Way Driving (American Traffic Safety Services Association, 2014) [HTML (Members Only)]
Public Roads Magazine Articles
Rhode Island Department of Transportation – Wrong-Way Driving Mitigation Program
RIDOT WWD web page [HTML]
Presentation (2015) (hosted by Rhode Island Chapter, Institute of Transportation Engineers) [PDF]
Texas Department of Transportation – San Antonio District Wrong-Way Driving Initiative
Best Practice Overview Presentation (hosted by National Operations Center of Excellence) [HTML]
Texas Safety Conference Short Course Presentations (hosted by TAMU/TTI-CTS) [PDF 2013] [PDF 2014]
Keeping NTTA Roadways Safe: Wrong-Way Driver Task Force (North Texas Turnpike Authority)
5-Year Review Presentation (hosted by TAMU/TTI-CTS) [PDF]
Southwest Research Institute (SwRI)
Wrong Way Driver Countermeasures using Connected Vehicle Technology Presentation (2014) (hosted by TAMU/TTI-CTS) [PDF]
Detection of Wrong Way Drivers: A Moving Target Presentation (2014) (hosted by ITS-Texas) [PDF]
A Guide for Reducing Head-On Crashes on Freeways (NCHRP Report 500, Volume 20) [PDF]
National Highway Institute Course #380073 "Fundamentals of Planning, Design and Approval of Interchange Improvements to the Interstate System" [HTML] [PDF]
Wrong-Way Driving Fact Sheet (Institute for Road Safety Research/SWOV, Netherlands, 2009) [PDF]
Wrong-Way Driving Prevention Methods – Preliminary Investigation (California, 2015) [PDF]
Detection and Warning Systems for Wrong-Way Driving (Arizona, 2015) [HTML] [PDF]
Investigation of Contributing Factors Regarding Wrong-Way Driving on Freeways, Phase II (Illinois, 2015) [PDF]
Statewide Wrong-Way Crash Study Final Report (Florida, 2015) [PDF]
Assessment of the Effectiveness of Wrong-Way Driving Countermeasures and Mitigation Methods (Texas, 2014) [PDF]
Wrong-Way Crashes in North Carolina Update (North Carolina, 2013) [PDF]
National Wrong-Way Driving Summit Proceedings (Illinois, 2013) [PDF]
Wrong-Way Vehicle Detection: Proof of Concept (Final Report 697) (Arizona, 2013) [PDF]
Investigation of Contributing Factors Regarding Wrong-Way Driving on Freeways (Illinois, 2012) [PDF]
Statewide Study of Wrong-Way Crashes on Freeways in North Carolina (North Carolina, 2006) [PDF]
Prior to 2005
