Wrong-Way Driver Dies in Collision at I-17 Stack

A man going the wrong way on I-17 at around 2:45 this morning was killed when he collided head-on with a commercial truck. The commercial truck driver was not injured, the Arizona Department of Public Safety said in a statement.

What’s Behind Rising Arizona Traffic Deaths

The wrong-way driver was traveling southbound within the northbound lanes of I-17. His passenger vehicle then transitioned the wrong direction onto the eastbound I-10 to northbound I-17 ramp, where the collision occurred, DPS explained. “The wrong-way  vehicle fell off of the transition ramp and landed between the I-17 mainline and the westbound I-10 to northbound I-17 transition ramp.”

Wrong-way crashes in Arizona that result in injury or death occur at the rate of about 2 per month, DPS figures show. ADOT has a prototype system in development to better detect wrong-way drivers and help prevent accidents. Overall, motor vehicle deaths in the state were up 24 percent in 2016 compared to 2014.

I-17 re-opened this morning after an hours-long closure due to the accident. As of about 7 a.m., ramps from I-10 eastbound and westbound to I-17 northbound remained closed.