Houston Car Accident Underscores Prevalence Of Wrong-Way Driving
There are few things that are more terrifying for a driver casually driving down the road than seeing another vehicle speed down the road at them head-on. One-way highways, one-lane roads, and small city streets with only room for one car are all places where a head-on collision might occur if a driver goes opposite to the flow of traffic. It goes without saying that when a head-on car accident does occur, the likelihood of injury or death is extremely high. Unfortunately, this week in Houston a wrong-way car accident led to the injury of three individuals. The accident highlights the dangers and prevalence of wrong-way car accidents in the United States.
According to reports, the accident occurred near downtown Houston on Monday, October 3, around 9:00 pm on Allen Parkway and Stanford street. The Houston Police Department states that a witness reported that a black pick-up truck with a passenger was traveling west in eastbound-only lanes with no headlights turned on. The eye-witness, who was walking his dog near the scene of the head-on collision, said that he saw the truck traveling the wrong way in the eastbound lanes. The black pick-up truck ran into a white SUV, and three people were injured, including the two occupants of the truck and one occupant of the white SUV. The driver of the pick-up truck was critically injured, and all three were transported to trauma centers. The investigation into the cause of the accident is still ongoing.
Prevalence of Wrong-Way Car Accidents in the United States
Though it seems like common sense and reasonable driving skills would prevent such accidents, unfortunately car accidents that occur as a result of wrong-way driving are not uncommon in Houston and throughout the United States. In fact, according to the Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration, the most recent data regarding wrong-way car accidents indicates that approximately 400 to 450 fatal car accidents occur in the United States each year as a result of wrong-way driving. From the Department’s data, which is available for the United States for the years 2015-2018, the year with the highest fatal wrong-way car accidents was 2016, with 451 fatalities as a result of wrong-way car accidents. In 2018, the most recent year for which there is available data, there were 428 wrong-way car accidents. By way of contrast, the total number of fatal car accidents in the United States between 2015-2018 ranged from approximately 35,500-38,000.
Houston Wrong-Way Car Accident Lawyer Near You
The recent wrong-way accident in Houston and the data from the FHA tend to suggest that wrong-way accidents are not rare in Houston and in the United States. If you or someone you love has been involved in a wrong-way car accident in Houston, or a car accident of any kind, the experienced Houston auto accident lawyers at the Gilde Law Firm are available to discuss your rights and options. Contact the Gilde Law Firm today for a free and confidential consultation to learn if you may be entitled to compensation and to see if they can help.
Sources:
click2houston.com/news/local/2022/10/04/3-injured-after-wrong-way-driver-causes-crash-major-crash-on-allen-parkway-and-stanford-hpd-says/
safety.fhwa.dot.gov/intersection/about/
