Another Wrong Way Driver on I-405 Causes a Scary 3 Car Accident

I don't drive this way often, but I hear wrong-way drivers have been a problem in this area.

Wrong Way Driver Causes 3 Car Accident on Washington's I-405

The Washington State Patrol responded to a three-car accident early last Sunday morning, April 14, 2024, caused by a wrong-way driver. This has been an increasing problem for not just I-405 around Seattle but for the entire state. The crash was caused by one vehicle traveling north in the southbound lanes near 30th when they struck the other two vehicles involved. Pictures from the scene show 2 of the 3 vehicles involved, and both were completely destroyed. One was a light grey or blue truck and the other a dark blue or black sedan but the 3rd vehicle was not shown or described by the Washington State Patrol. The wrong-way driver was taken into custody on suspicion of driving impaired and all lanes of I-405 southbound were closed until a tow truck managed to clear the scene. Luckily, everyone involved only received minor injuries even though 2 of the crashed vehicles caught fire after the collision.

Washington State: DUI & Wrong Way Crashes Increasing

Ask any officer who patrols one of Washington State's busy highways and they will express how bad wrong-way driving accidents have been recently. Ask any officer who patrols on Washington's highways and they will agree. Already in 2024, the Washington State Patrol has made 3040 DUI arrests and has responded to 49 fatality collisions. I can't find official numbers of percentages of those connected to a wrong-way accident, but I would guess it is a pretty large margin of the 49 fatality collisions in 2024. In 2013, Washington State had 436 fatality collisions but that number grew to 743 in 2022 (the most current official numbers released) according to the Washington State Traffic Commission. Statistically, around half of all drivers involved in fatality crashes are impaired. The surprising data shows that only 1/3 of all Washington fatality crashes involve speeding and less than 1/4 involve distracted driving.