Football season in Arizona is a big part of fall. High school games on Friday nights, college games in Tempe and Tucson, the Cardinals in Glendale, and countless watch parties at homes, bars, and restaurants across the Valley.
Most of those nights end the same way: a lot of people driving home late, some of them tired, some of them having had a few drinks, and many of them on roads they do not use every day.
That combination lines up closely with the conditions where wrong-way crashes happen.
Why game nights overlap with the risk
ADOT's wrong-way driving page lays out a clear pattern. Three out of four wrong-way crashes occur between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. One-third happen between midnight and 3 a.m. More than half occur on weekends. And two out of three are caused by impaired drivers.
National research points the same way. The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety's study of fatal wrong-way crashes on U.S. divided highways from 2014 through 2023 found alcohol-impaired drivers among the groups at elevated risk, along with darkness and drivers far from home.
Night, weekends, alcohol, unfamiliar routes. A late game followed by a celebration, or a long drive back from an away game, checks several of those boxes at once.
Plan the ride home before kickoff
The decision that matters most on game day is made early, before anyone has had a drink.
Choose a driver who will not drink. Not "will only have a couple." A designated driver who stays sober is the clearest plan there is.
Or plan not to drive at all. Rideshare, a taxi, transit where it runs, or staying over with a friend near the stadium are all better than deciding at midnight.
Write it down in the group chat. "Marcus is driving, we leave at the end of the fourth" is a plan. "We'll figure it out" usually is not.
Have a backup. Plans change. Know what you will do if your driver ends up drinking or leaves early.
Leaving the stadium
Stadium traffic creates its own problems even for sober drivers.
Crowds, police directing traffic, temporary lane closures, and detours can send drivers down roads and ramps they do not normally use. Parking lot exits often feed onto unfamiliar streets. Following the car ahead is tempting when everyone seems to be going the same way.
A few habits help:
- Look at the route home before the game, including which ramp you will use to get on the freeway.
- Slow down near ramps and read the signs instead of following the crowd.
- Watch for red signs or red reflectors facing you. "WRONG WAY," "DO NOT ENTER," or reflectors glowing red on the pavement mean you are pointed the wrong way. Stop and call 911.
- Be patient. Ten minutes waiting for traffic to clear costs a lot less than a rushed turn onto the wrong ramp.
If you are hosting a watch party
Hosts have more influence than they might think. Serve food, offer non-alcoholic options, stop serving well before the end of the game, and pay attention to who is planning to drive. If someone is not okay to drive, offer the couch or call them a ride.
Taking someone's keys is uncomfortable. It is also one of the most effective safety interventions there is, because it stops the problem before it reaches the road.
On the road late at night
If you are out late on game night, sober and driving, stay alert. You are sharing the road with people who may not be.
If you ever see headlights coming toward you on a divided highway, slow down, steer away to the right when it is clear, and get to a safe place. Then call 911 and report the road, the direction, and the nearest exit or milepost.
If an overhead message board warns of a wrong-way driver ahead, ADOT's guidance is to move toward the nearest exit as soon as it is safe.
Keep the celebration a celebration
Nobody wants a great game to end with a phone call in the middle of the night. A little planning keeps the focus where it belongs: on the game, the people you watched it with, and getting everyone home.
NMWWD is a Phoenix nonprofit working to prevent wrong-way crashes through awareness, technology, and community. If you would like to help, share this with your watch-party group, get involved, or support the work.
Sources: Arizona Department of Transportation — Wrong-Way Drivers · AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, Fatal Wrong-Way Crashes on Divided Highways, United States, 2014–2023