Wrong-Way Crashes: How Would You Prevent Them?

Reports of wrong-way drivers and the crashes they’ve caused have become commonplace in the Tampa Bay area where in the past week alone, two drivers have been arrested for going the wrong way and one sparked a fatal crash.

From Pasco County’s stretch of Interstate 75 to Tampa’s Interstate 275 and even Clearwater’s portion of U.S. 19, the reports of motorists going in the wrong direction on Bay area roads have been coming in fast and furious. A high school teacher even faces charges after getting caught in the act.

Wrong-way incidents are more common than many realize, the Tampa Bay Times pointed out. It says the Florida Highway Patrol has issued 114 wrong-way tickets in Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Citrus, Hernando and Hillsborough counties alone since Jan. 1, 2010.

This summer there were three fatal crashes, Sgt. Steve Gaskins of the highway patrol told Patch. Two were in September and one in August.

While the Florida Department of Transportation is exploring signage options that might reduce the number of wrong-way incidents, Gaskins points out the fatal crashes have been “directly linked to driver error and intoxication.”

Do you think there is a way to reduce the number of wrong-way incidents in the Tampa Bay area? Share your ideas by commenting below!

This article is being shared with all 23 Patch sites in Florida so we can hear ideas from all of our communities about the issue.

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See Also:

• 3 Dead in I-275 Wrong-Way Crash
• Wrong-Way Driver Collides with Ambulance in Fatal Crash
• Wrong-Way Driver Arrested in Clearwater
• Wrong-Way Driver Causes Fatal U.S. 301 Crash
• Chamberlain Teacher Arrested in I-75 Wrong-Way Driving Incident

Photo Credit: An image from one of the recent wrong-way crashes.