Key Takeaways
- Between 2019 and 2023, nearly 6,000 fatal wrong-driving incidents were reported in the U.S.
- Texas leads the nation with the highest share (6.4%) and total count (1,199) of fatal wrong-way driving crashes. This rate is double the national average.
- Within Texas, certain counties stood out for rates over four times the national average: Bastrop, Hunt, Williamson, Johnson, and Ellis County.Â
- Among the top 25 counties with the highest share of fatal wrong-way crashes, 17 are located in Texas.Â
- Oklahoma shows the highest share of intoxicated wrong-way drivers at 61.54%.
- Hawaii shows the lowest risk for fatal wrong-way driving incidents. Only two collisions were reported in the five-year study period, both involving alcohol.Â
In 1988, on a spring evening in Carrollton, Kentucky, a young church group was returning home from a Kings Island amusement park trip. The group of mostly teenagers was awaiting the end of a well-spent day, unaware that tragedy was ahead. A drunk driver with a blood alcohol concentration twice the legal limit at the time was traveling on the wrong side of the road on Interstate 70, resulting in a severe head-on collision that claimed the lives of 27 bus occupants. To this day, the crash is known as the deadliest drunk-driving incident in U.S. history.Â
Following the incident, bus safety standards underwent significant improvements, including the introduction of additional emergency exits, enhanced fuel tank protection, less flammable seat materials, and wider aisles to improve accessibility. At the same time, as the story circulated through American homes, awareness of the dangers of drunk driving reached a turning point. Over the years, the country has seen a decline in drunk driving crashes that is partly credited to the lessons learned from this tragic incident.
However, while overall drunk driving has decreased in the U.S., wrong-way collisions remain a major concern to this day. In fact, from 2019 to 2023, 7,645 people were killed in collisions involving wrong-way drivers in the U.S.Â
With this in mind, we analyzed the most recent five years of fatal crash data from 2019 to 2023 to determine which U.S. states and counties experience the most fatal wrong-way crashes and the highest proportion of fatal wrong-way crashes among all fatal crashes reported in the state.Â
Read on to uncover our findings.Â
Where do Fatal Wrong-Way Crashes happen most often?
The table and U.S. heat map show each state’s crash total, associated fatalities, and their proportion of all fatal crashes. The table also includes information on alcohol involvement and the county with the highest number of fatal wrong-way driving crashes.
Between 2019 and 2023, an average of three deadly wrong-driving collisions occurred every day in the U.S. Predictably, states with larger populations dominate the absolute numbers. However, significantly more people are killed in wrong-way crashes in Texas than in any other state. During the observation period, more than twice as many people were killed in Texas (1,578) as in the state with the second highest total, California (739). Florida and Georgia were the only other two states with more than 400 deaths. New York, despite being the fourth most populous state in the country, reported the 19th highest incidence of wrong-way crashes.Â
That said, absolute numbers alone do not tell the entire story. Wrong-way crash rate, expressed as the percentage of all fatal crashes that involved a wrong-way driver, may allow one to identify areas of heightened risk. Nationally, just over 3% of fatal crashes are wrong-way crashes.Â
Our findings indicate that, in general, rural or more sparsely populated states and counties experienced higher rates of fatal wrong-way crashes. Still, Texas led the way in this metric at 6.4% — nearly double the national average — followed closely by North Dakota, Wisconsin, Kansas, and Georgia, all with proportions over 5%.
Alcohol impairment is often a significant factor in wrong-way crashes. In fact, nearly one-third of wrong-way drivers were legally intoxicated when the fatal crash occurred. However, several states had significantly higher intoxication rates with blood alcohol concentrations of 0.08% or above: Oklahoma (61.54%), Maryland (58.44%), Ohio (57.73%), Connecticut (57.50%), and Colorado (56.72%).
Alongside slower reactions and a higher likelihood of night driving, the risk for a head-on collision significantly increases.Â
A Texas-Sized Problem
Texas not only leads the nation in total fatal wrong-way crashes, associated fatalities, and crash rate; 17 of the top 25 counties with the highest fatal wrong-way crash rate are found in the state. Narrowing our county-level analysis to counties reporting at least 100 fatal crashes over the five-year study period, Bastrop County experienced a rate that was four times higher than the national average. Several other Texas counties also rank high, including Hunt, Williamson, Johnson, and Ellis. Below is the full list.Â
Outside Texas, Rock County, Wisconsin, shows a notably high share of fatal wrong-way crashes at 10%. Counties in North Carolina, Arizona, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee are also among the top 25.
Some metropolitan areas on the list have already begun implementing detection systems and public awareness campaigns to reduce wrong-way crashes. However, not all of the top counties are urban. Rural and semi-rural counties often feature higher-speed highways, limited or outdated traffic controls, and fewer safety interventions, which can contribute to a higher share of wrong-way fatal crashes.Â
For example, when we look deeper into the fatal wrong-way crashes that occurred in the leading county, Bastrop, the majority took place on State Roads (75%), followed by Farm to Market roads (25%), which serve rural areas. State Roads carry heavier traffic at high speeds, where wrong-way entries can quickly lead to deadly head-on collisions. Moreover, intoxicated drivers are more likely to use these roads and comparable highways, as they connect communities to bars, restaurants, and entertainment centers. In fact, six of the eight incidents that occurred on State Roads in Bastrop involved alcohol.Â
Farm to Market roads are typically two-lane rural highways with higher speed limits, limited street lighting, and few or no median dividers. A single wrong turn can put a driver directly into oncoming traffic, and poorly marked intersections may further confuse drivers, especially after dark or in bad weather. In addition, limited patrol presence, high-speed but low-traffic conditions, where drivers may feel overconfident, and outdated traffic controls can all contribute to a higher share of wrong-way fatal crashes.
The same road characteristics that appear in Bastrop are also found in other suburban, semi-rural, and rural counties across the U.S. These environments help explain why counties beyond large metropolitan areas rank among the highest in wrong-way fatal crash rates.
This analysis highlights crash hot spots that officials may use to guide traffic safety improvements. For more details on the top county in each state, please refer to the data table provided earlier in the study.
Efforts to Reduce Wrong-Way Crashes
Driving against traffic on one-way streets, ramps, and highways is prohibited by law across the U.S., with each state pursuing its own enforcement and safety initiatives. Penalties may include a traffic fine, license suspension, or, in severe cases, jail time. The severity of penalties depends on aggravating factors, including any injuries or fatalities caused, the involvement of drugs or alcohol, and whether the driver has prior offenses.Â
Several states have implemented stricter legislation in recent years to combat the issue. Connecticut, Massachusetts, Ohio, and Washington have all enacted new bills in 2023. Such bills detail solutions such as detection and notification systems, public awareness campaigns, driver education programs, advanced traffic research on wrong-way driving, Department of Transportation interventions, highway safety technology, and highway design changes.Â
Arizona and Delaware have both piloted detection and notification systems over the past few years. In Arizona, a bill passed in 2018 introduced new requirements for offenders: mandatory attendance of survival school educational sessions and payment of a $500 fine. In addition, thermal detection cameras, whose alert system sends highway signals for drivers to self-correct and dispatches officers to the scene, are deployed in the Phoenix metro area, with plans to expand statewide. Such efforts have proven successful, earning the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) an award for Infrastructure and Operational improvement.Â
Moreover, research in Florida identified hundreds of wrong-way driving hot spots across the state that could benefit from LED-illuminated alert signs. This countermeasure was found to be the most effective.
While no single solution can fully eliminate wrong-way crashes, these combined efforts show that targeted legislation, technology, and infrastructure improvements can significantly reduce risks and save lives.
Methodology
We analyzed five years of data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) between 2019 and 2023, focusing on vehicles flagged for wrong-way driving. Note that NHTSA changed how wrong-way driving was recorded in the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) during this period.
Fair Use Statement
If you know someone who might be interested in our findings, please feel free to share them. If you reference or use these findings in any article, report, or presentation, we just ask that you please include a link to the original analysis so others can review the full dataset and methodology.