The number of incidents involving drivers going the wrong way on England’s motorways has alarmingly increased by 15 per cent in the last year, according to National Highways data. There were 988 reports of “oncoming vehicles” before November 17, a significant rise from 858 the previous year.
This concerning information, sourced from police and public records, emerged after a Freedom of Information request was made. AA president Edmund King expressed grave concerns, stating: “The increase in the number of vehicles being driven in the wrong direction on motorways is frightening. The consequences of wrong-way driving can be devastating and deadly.”
Recent tragic events underscore the dangers of such incidents, including a catastrophic crash on the M6 where five individuals perished due to a wrong-way driver, and another sorrowful episode on February 4 when a stolen van fleeing police collided with oncoming traffic on the M25, resulting in two fatalities and four serious injuries. For the latter incident,
Barancan Nurcin, a 22-year-old from Tottenham, North London, was sentenced to 18 years at St Albans Crown Court on June 21. Mr King remarked on the causes of these incidents, saying: “Various incidents are clearly down to criminals trying to evade the police. There is absolutely no excuse to deliberately drive the wrong way.”
He also pointed out that some drivers have been misled by their sat navs, which they followed without question. “Some incidents have been linked to foreign drivers used to driving on the other side of the road, although now there are signs in different languages close to UK ports warning drivers to ‘drive on the left’.”
In cases where authentic blunders occur, Mr King accentuates the need for a thorough inspection of signals and highway designs, stating, “In locations where genuine mistakes have been made, there should be a full review of signage and road layout to ensure they are intuitive.”
Drivers who face an oncoming vehicle on the motorway are advised with a stark clarity: dial 999 immediately if it’s safe or use an SOS phone available on-site. Following such reports, speed restrictions are promptly reduced to 20mph, drastically lowering limits to safeguard road users.
A National Highways spokesperson said: “Safety is our top priority which is why we take immediate steps to keep people safe when a report of an oncoming vehicle comes in, such as setting signals to warn and inform drivers, and lowering the speed limit.
“Motorways are designed to be as intuitive as possible to reduce the likelihood of this happening,” and reiterated the importance of reporting any wrong-way driving by stating, “If anyone spots someone driving the wrong way, they should call 999 when safe to do so.”
