Fall is when a lot of Phoenix drivers head out of the Valley. Weekend trips up I-17 to Flagstaff and Sedona, drives to the White Mountains, trips down I-10 to Tucson or across to California. Many of those drives end after dark on long stretches of divided highway with few lights and miles between exits.
That setting deserves a little extra attention, because national research finds wrong-way risk is higher in rural areas.
What the research says
The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety studied fatal wrong-way crashes on U.S. divided highways from 2014 through 2023. Across that decade there were 4,164 fatal wrong-way crashes, killing 5,730 people, and the annual number roughly doubled from 278 in 2014 to 520 in 2023.
Among the circumstances associated with higher risk, the study identified rural areas, along with darkness and dawn or dusk. It also found elevated risk for drivers living far from where the crash occurred.
A rural interstate at night, driven by someone who does not use it often, combines several of those factors.
Why rural roads are different
The research identifies the association; it does not settle every reason behind it. But the conditions on rural divided highways help explain why the risk deserves attention.
Darkness. Many rural interchanges have little or no lighting. Signs and markings depend entirely on headlights, and the difference between an on-ramp and an off-ramp is harder to see.
Distance between exits. A driver who enters the wrong way on a rural highway may travel a long way before reaching another interchange, and there may be fewer opportunities to notice the mistake from other cues.
Longer response times. Troopers cover more ground in rural areas, which means help can take longer to arrive than in a metro area.
Fewer warning systems. Detection technology has largely been deployed on busy urban corridors first.
Higher speeds. Rural interstates often carry higher speed limits, which leaves less time to react.
What Arizona is doing
ADOT's thermal-camera detection system began on I-17 in Phoenix and has expanded to other Valley freeways. ADOT has also said it planned to extend detection to I-17 between Phoenix and Flagstaff, depending on funding.
That rural focus makes sense given the research. Until that coverage is in place, though, much of the rural network relies on passive countermeasures, including larger and lowered "Wrong Way" and "Do Not Enter" signs and pavement arrows paired with reflectors that glow red to a wrong-way driver, along with the attention of the people driving it.
Planning a rural drive
A few habits reduce exposure on out-of-town trips:
Drive in daylight when you can. ADOT reports that three out of four wrong-way crashes happen between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. Leaving a few hours earlier to arrive before dark is one of the simplest changes available.
Avoid the latest hours. ADOT says one-third of wrong-way crashes happen between midnight and 3 a.m. If a trip would put you on a rural interstate in those hours, consider stopping for the night.
Do not drive tired. Long drives at the end of a weekend or a workday wear down attention. Take breaks, switch drivers, or stop before you are struggling to stay alert.
Stay sober. ADOT reports that two out of three wrong-way crashes are caused by impaired drivers. A cabin weekend or a tailgate in another town still needs a sober driver for the trip back.
Stay right when you can. On a multilane divided highway at night, the right lane leaves you more room to react to headlights coming the wrong way, and a shoulder to steer toward.
If you see a wrong-way driver out there
Slow down, steer away to the right when it is clear, and get to a safe place. Then call 911 and report the highway, your direction, which way the other vehicle is heading, and the nearest milepost or exit. On rural roads, mileposts are often the fastest way to tell dispatchers exactly where you are.
If you are the one who has turned the wrong way, stop at the edge, turn on your hazard lights, keep headlights on, stay buckled in the vehicle, and call 911. Do not attempt a U-turn on the highway.
Coverage beyond the city
A lot of attention goes to metro freeways because that is where the traffic is. The research suggests rural roads need at least as much focus. NMWWD wants prevention, detection, and warnings to reach drivers wherever they are in Arizona, not only where the most cameras are.
If that matters to you, get involved or support the work.
Sources: AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, Fatal Wrong-Way Crashes on Divided Highways, United States, 2014–2023 · Arizona Department of Transportation — Wrong-Way Drivers · Arizona Department of Transportation — I-17 thermal-camera system