Wrong-way driving crashes are up in Oklahoma

Wrong-way driving crashes are up in Oklahoma

HE WAS GOING AT LEAST 70-MILESAN HOUR.SADLY..

THIS ACCIDENT ISN'TTHE FIRST.IN 20-19 -- OKLAHOMA LOST 24PEOPLE IN SEVENTEEN WRONG-WAYDRIVING CRASHES...THIS IS ACCORDING TO THEOKLAHOMA HIGHWAY SAFETY OFFICE.2 NEWS SENIOR REPORTER, SHARONPHILLIPS GOES IN-DEPTH... WITHLOOK AT THE TOP THREE CAUSES OFTHESE CRASHES - AND WHAT YOUSHOULD DO IF SOMEONE IS HEADEDSTRAIGHT TOWARDS YOU - GOING THEWRONG WAY.RESEARCHERS TOOK A HARD LOOK AT8 FACTORS RELATED TO THESE TYPESOF CRASHES -- AND THEIR DATASHOWED 3 FACTORS THAT REALLYSTOOD OUT.

THEY INCLUDE - - - -ALCOHOL IMPAIRMENT, OLDER AGEAND DRIVING WITHOUT A PASSENGER.PKG:MAGGIE DUBOIS WAS IN HER SECONDYEAR TEACHING AT BIXBY CENTRALELEMENTARY SCHOOL.THE BUBBLING MOTHER OF TWO HAD ARADIENT, SMILE THAT LIT UP THEROOM.BUT HER LIFE WAS INSTANTLY TAKENBY A WRONG-WAY DRUNK DRIVER BACKIN OCTOBER OF 2019 - LEAVINGBEHIND HER SHATTERED HUSBAND,CHAD AND THEIR TWO CHILDREN, 5YEAR OLD, EVIE AND 2 YEAR OLD,LIZA.IT WAS TOO DIFFICULT FOR THEFAMILY TO DO AN INTERVIEW, BUTTHEY DID RELEASE THIS STATEMENTSAYING:(Start off with statement onfullscreen and disolve intophotos of her and her family)"Our family would like driversto know that their choicesmatter.

Their choices have thepower to affect far more peoplethan just themselves.

Theyaffect families like ours, andthey affect entire communities.Drivers should feel responsibleand accountable for everydecision they make on the road.Drunk driving and distracteddriving can have seriousconsequences that spill overinto the lives of countlessother people.

It's a driver'sresponsibility to theircommunity to make the bestdecisions possible when behindthe wheel.

We hope Maggie'sstory will help more people takethat responsibility seriously."Shots of him driving his troopercar here........WRONG WAY DRIVING WRECKS LIKETHE ONE THAT TOOK THE LIFE OFMAGGIE DUBOIS ARE ALL TOOFAMILIAR FOR O-H-P TROOPER MARKSOUTHALLNats of highway drivershere........HE'S SEEN THE WORST OF THE WORSTWHEN IT COMES TO BAD ACCIDENTS,AND HE SAYS - THOSE IMAGES CANREMAIN WITH YOU FOR A LONG TIME.(Trooper Mark Southall - OHP)3:49 "By the time youradrenaline slows down, andyou've cleaned up the scene andyou've talked to family members,and you have time to process it,it does take a toll on you forsure."WITH THE TRAGIC TREND OF WRONGWAY DRIVING CRASHES, WE ARESEEING HERE IN OKLAHOMA, TRIPLEA - THE N-T-S-B AND O-H-P AREJOINING TOGETHER TO WARN DRIVERSOF THE RISKS OF FATAL CONFUSION.(Trooper Mark Southall - OHP)59 "We will try to do anythingthat we can.

We try to get theirattention, number one and if wehave to deploy a stop stick ormaybe even use our car to blockthem which has been done in thepast, we'll do whatever it takesto prevent innocent people frombeing injured."(FULLSCREEN GRAPHIC HERE )UNFORTUNATELY, FATALITIES FROMTHESE CRASHES ARE ON THE RISE.24 PEOPLE ON OKLAHOMA ROADS DIED-- DUE TO WRONG WAY CRASHESALONE IN 2019.(WIPE TO THIS GRAPHIC)RESEARCHERS WERE ABLE TO NARROWIT DOWN TO 3 FACTORS AS TO WHATMAY BE CAUSING THIS TYPES OFCRASHES.THEY INCLUDE, DRUNK DRIVING,OLDER DRIVERS AND DRIVINGWITHOUT A PASSENGER.SIX OUT OF TEN WRONG WAY CRASHESINVOLVED AN ALCOHOL IMPAIREDDRIVER.

DRIVERS WITH A BLOODALCOHOL LEVEL OF 0.08 WERESIGNIFICANTLY MORE LIKELY TO BEWRONG WAY DRIVERS, THAN THOSEWITHOUT ALCOHOL IN THEIR SYSTEMINVOVLED IN THE SAME CRASHES.(Trooper Mark Southall - OHP)3:04 'For an elderly driver, itmay be confusing.

There are alot of signs and maybe they arenot quite as cognitive as whatthey used to be, or maybe theydon't really process stuff asquickly as they used too."MARK MADEJA WITH TRIPLE A SAYSNOT HAVING A PASSENGER IN YOURCAR, CAN SOMETIMES CONTRIBUTE TOA WRONG WAY CRASH.(Mark Madeja - AAA spokesman)1:45 'The passenger would thenbe able to say, hey wait aminute, you are going the wrongway."1:48 "They don't have that otherset of eyes, so these crashesincrease as well."WE ASKED WHAT'S THE BEST THINGTHAT YOU SHOULD DO - IF YOU SEEA DRIVER HEADED STRAIGHT TOWARDSYOU --- GOING THE WRONG WAY.(Trooper Mark Southall - OHP)2:08 "Just pull over and stop.Make sure you are safe and thencall us and let us know what youare seeing once you are safe."SHARON TAG:ACCORDING TO THE N-T-S-B -ALCOHOL IMPAIRMENT IS THE SING