Accidents caused by vehicles traveling in the opposite direction to traffic are more frequent than we think. Although the most mediatic ones are usually those that end up with fatalities or injuries, there are not a few drivers who have ever found themselves in front of a car that was traveling in the opposite direction, although without having to regret victims. In some cases, they are genuine reckless drivers, also known as kamikaze drivers, and in others, they have simply made a mistake or gotten lost.
If we focus only on this year, there are several cases that have jumped to the media. For example, that of a 75-year-old driver who traveled no more and no less than 31 kilometers in the opposite direction on the AP-7, between Ondara and Altea (Valencia) despite the lights and honks of the many drivers with whom she came across to cause an accident with an uninjured person; It happened on January 13. With a tragic end came the mistake of an 87-year-old driver who, on January 30, caused a multiple accident with four deaths when driving at least six kilometers in the opposite direction on the A-7 near Rotglà i Corberà, in Valencia. Another event occurred on the A-23 in Huesca on February 5 when a 40-year-old woman drove in the opposite direction for three kilometers causing an accident with two minor injuries.
The data from the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) do not differentiate between kamikaze drivers, thus called those who drive recklessly without showing respect for the lives of others, or those who simply commit an unintentional recklessness, or suffer some Psychological trastorn. The data from the latest accident yearbook published by the DGT corresponds to the year 2019 and it reflects 188 driver infractions for driving in the opposite direction or for a prohibited place on interurban roads . The majority are passenger cars, 114, compared to 26 motorcycles, 9 vans, 6 trucks or 5 mopeds.
According to the latest report of the State Prosecutor’s Office, in the 2020 financial year, 71,613 accusations were made for road crimes, which represents approximately 30% of the total criminal proceedings in all of Spain. As we can see, a third of the crimes committed in Spain are against road safety , many of them related to the ingestion of alcohol and drugs or driving without a permit, but also to driving with serious risk to others or reckless driving. . From the prosecution stand out the rises that some typologies have experienced in the year of the pandemic, such as the crime of driving at excessive speed (+75%) and those related to reckless driving (+51% and +43% respectively according to articles 380 and 381 of the penal code).
Prison sentences for reckless
When the infraction that is committed poses a high risk to people’s lives, it becomes a crime against road safety with heavy prison sentences and deprivation of the right to drive :
Article 380 of the Criminal Code states: “Whoever drives a motor vehicle or a moped with manifest recklessness and puts the life or integrity of persons in particular danger shall be punished with prison sentences of six months to two years and deprivation of of the right to drive motor vehicles and mopeds for more than one and up to six years”.
Article 381 of the Penal Code refers to manifest disregard for the lives of others. In that case “he will be punished with prison sentences of two to five years , a fine of twelve to twenty-four months and deprivation of the right to drive motor vehicles and mopeds for a period of six to ten years . “
In the event that it remains in an administrative offense because it is not considered a crime, the Traffic and Road Safety Law qualifies it as very serious, with a fine of 500 euros and the withdrawal of six points from the driver’s license .
What is behind the kamikazes?
Various studies by the Royal Automobile Club of Spain (RACE), the Foundation for Road Safety (Fesvial) or the University of Zaragoza, among others, draw attention to the situations of stress and anxiety generated by the state of alarm and confinement due to the Covid pandemic, but also to a lower tolerance for frustration and greater aggressiveness : increases in risk of up to 28% and sudden accelerations and maneuvers by 17% have been detected.
A decrease in reaction speed, attention span and concentration of up to 38%, and greater precipitation in decision-making is also observed. The DGT report also includes a 39% increase in the number of vehicles caught speeding. These are data echoed by the ‘2020 Report of the State Attorney General’s Office’ and which have resulted in a total of 42,448 penalties of deprivation of the right to drive, 1,331 loss of license validity, 46,000 fines and 18,877 work sentences for the benefit of the community.
Unfortunately behind a driver circulating in the opposite direction there is not always a kamikaze or ‘road offender’, we also find elderly drivers who are disoriented, clueless, with less capacity to react… For when a review on the renewal of the driver’s license as we approach a certain age? The elderly group is one of the most vulnerable. Although it is true that they are only involved in 8% of accidents with victims, their level of harm is greater due to their physical conditions and in 2021 they represented 16.9% of fatalities on interurban roads.
From the University Institute of Traffic (Intras) they assure that homicidal behaviors have a lot to do with the aggressiveness and violence that exists in society and come to identify different types of kamikaze drivers : the ‘ paid ‘ one who charges money to turn his behavior into a show with bets; the ‘ unbalanced ‘, who has a mismatch in his behavior and may even enjoy putting others in fear; the ‘ resentful ‘ who seeks antisocial behavior to cause harm; the ‘ boring ‘ who is a driver with a favorable economic situation and seeks risk to get out of the monotony; the ‘ drug addict‘ driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs; the ‘ wrong ‘, the absent-minded person who makes a mistake due to a distraction or bad signage; the ‘ imitator ‘ who takes his cue from what he sees or hears; the ‘ violent ‘ who seeks notoriety or protagonism within a group; the ‘ fugitive ‘ who flees from the police with suicidal maneuvers; and the ‘ suicide ‘ who uses the car in a premeditated way to take their own life or with the aim that other people die with them.
How to act before a kamikaze
Meeting head-on with a vehicle traveling in the opposite direction is one of the most dangerous and terrible situations for a driver. The probability of facing this moment is low but it can happen and in the face of this possibility it is advisable to be as prepared as possible. How should we act to reduce the risk of collision? The European Automobile Commissariat (CEA) gives us these tips:
• If we hear on the radio that there is a kamikaze on the road we are driving on or if we find it directly in front of us, the first thing to do, if possible , is to leave the motorway at the first exit and wait in a safe place for it to arrive . by radio warn of the end of the danger (you can also call the DGT at 060 to be informed). If this is not possible, the next option is to drive in the right lane.
• As soon as you detect the presence of a driver driving in the opposite direction, turn on the low beam, fog and emergency lights , in this way you are warning the driver and making it easier for him to see you as soon as possible.
• It is very important not to flash or turn on the high beams because you will dazzle the kamikaze driver and you will be increasing the chances of danger.
• Keep calm and try to avoid the kamikaze or ‘unaware’ driver avoiding maneuvers, turns or sudden braking . You must not forget that you may be accompanied by other drivers traveling in the same direction.
• As soon as you manage to avoid the reckless driver , look for a safe place to park and notify the Traffic Civil Guard or emergencies. Call 112 or 062.
• What if the driver approaches you directly? Slow down, pull over to the right shoulder and put on your hazard lights.
• Do not forget that if you are going to get out of the car on a road you must put on the reflective vest and put on the triangles or the new emergency light .
How do you know if you are driving in the opposite direction?
If you get confused or due to poor signage you join a road in the opposite direction, there are certain guidelines that can alert you to the error and danger:
• When entering the expressway from a road that is on the left side of the expressway.
• When the median or center guardrail is on your right side .
• You only see the back of road signs .
• You do not see any reflective elements of the road.
As soon as you realize that you are traveling in the opposite direction:
• For the car as close to the guardrail . Try to protect yourself by getting out of the car (always with the reflective vest on) and placing yourself in a place that is as safe as possible. This done, it’s time to call the police. Never run across the lane or cross the highway.
• Never continue driving in the opposite direction in search of an exit and never try to turn around as vehicles on highways and highways travel at high speed.
• If you cannot stop immediately , drive as close to the right side as possible, activate the low beam, fog and emergency lights and try to stop as soon as possible. The better you are seen by other road users, the more the danger of a collision is reduced.
Technology helps you too
Automotive technology manufacturers such as Bosch have designed a system that warns drivers that they are driving in the wrong direction and at the same time alerts drivers of approaching vehicles. This function is used in Spain through the Infotransit application of the Royal Automobile Club of Catalonia (RACC). It works by sending regular and anonymous reports on the position of each vehicle to the ‘cloud’, while a computer center stores and analyzes the data via the internet. With these data, it compares the real movements of the vehicle with the allowed direction of the road and if the information of the two blocks does not match, alert! The more connected vehicles there are, the denser this invisible safety net will be and the more road users can be alerted to the presence of suicidal drivers.
Continental has also designed another warning system for drivers traveling in the opposite direction (Wrong-Way Drivers System) . And it achieves it thanks to a camera installed behind the windshield at the level of the rear-view mirror that recognizes the sign that driving is prohibited. The most premium models on the market already offer it. It is a system that is part of the evolution towards autonomous driving .
Ford was one of the first general manufacturers to incorporate this function in one of its cars, the Ford Focus.
This Wrong Direction Alert system builds on Ford’s existing Traffic Sign Recognition technology, which uses GPS information from the on-board navigation system to identify the vehicle’s location and a windshield-mounted forward-facing camera to detect important signs. In situations where a driver passes two ‘no turn’ signs on either side of a highway or motorway access road, Wrong Direction Alert issues a warning and displays a red ‘no turn’ symbol to the driver. It also launches a message: ‘check driving direction’. The signal recognition system, already present in many of the new models currently on sale, is a key aid in preventing errors or oversights from ending in tragedy.
