Wrong-Way Crash Reported on Interstate 20 in Columbia, South Carolina (SC)

COLUMBIA (SC)- Wach.com writes that a crash took place this week in Columbia, South Carolina, that reportedly caused injuries. The incident led to long delays while drivers were commuting to work.*

The incident was reportedly caused by a wrong-way driver. While the incident occurred in the westbound lanes, eastbound traffic experienced delays as well because of drivers slowing to look at the crash scene. Details, including the cause of the crash, and the nature of the injuries, are not available at this time. 

Wrong-way crashes, which involve a car entering a divided road against the flow of traffic, are often serious and frequently deadly. The impacts are head-on, and because these roads have high-speed limits, occur between two fast-moving vehicles. 

About 58 percent of such incidents are caused by drivers who are under the influence of alcohol or drugs. 

Approximately 300 to 400 people die each year in crashes resulting from a wrong-way driver. While that only accounts for around one percent of all traffic-related fatalities in the nation, the relatively low number of victims of wrong-way crashes are a result of a low number of such collisions that occur each year. A great deal of effort goes into preventing wrong-way wrecks from taking place. 

When it comes to head-on collisions, if the cars are traveling at 43 miles per hour or faster, then there is a high risk of the impact proving deadly. Of course, in most cases, the speed limit will exceed 43 miles per hour on divided highways and interstates, indicating just how dangerous a wrong-way crash is for the people involved. When manufacturers test cars for frontal impacts, they do so at about 40 miles per hour. Even cars with strong safety ratings are not designed to protect occupants at higher speeds because designing such cars has proven unrealistic.

Accident News is a safety and education initiative from Montlick & Associates, designed to help people better understand and thereby avoid common accident causes.  To learn more about our injury prevention programs, including iridesafe.com - click here. We hope you are never in an accident, but if you or a family member are injured, call Montlick & Associates 24/7 for your free consultation at 1-800-LAW-NEED (1-800-529-6333) or use our live chat at Montlick.com.

Sources:

https://wach.com/news/local/multi-car-crash-with-injuries-blocks-part-of-i-20-west

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25793548/#:~:text=Approximately%2058%25%20of%20wrong%2Dway,than%203%25%20had%20been%20drinking.

https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/intersection/other_topics/wwd/

https://www.thecarcrashdetective.com/how-to-survive-a-head-on-collision-slow-down-to-below-43mph/#:~:text=To%20put%20it%20simply%2C%20if,no%20higher%20than%2043%20mph.