A 29-year-old Active Guard Reserve Staff Sergeant assigned to the Army National Guard, Minden, Louisiana, died in a PMV-4 mishap 2 September 2023 in Monroe, Louisiana, at 0130 local. The Soldier was reportedly traveling in the wrong direction on an off ramp and struck an 18-wheeler. The Monroe Police Department (MPD) responded and pronounced the Soldier dead at the scene. The specific circumstances of the mishap, including the use of a seat belt, speed or the involvement of alcohol, are currently unknown. The unit/safety points of contact are waiting for MPD to release its final report.

Since FY18, the Army has lost an average of 35 Soldiers a year to PMV-4 mishaps. This mishap was the 37th PMV-4 fatality of FY23 and above the number of fatalities for the same time last year.

Safety tip

Wrong-Way Driving: What You Need to Know

Whether driving on the interstate, local or state roads, all drivers must do the following if they approach a WRONG WAY sign to help prevent a crash:

• Stop immediately.
• Pull over to the side of the road.
• Turn around when it is safe to do so.

If a driver encounters a wrong-way driver or sees an alert displayed on an electronic message board, they should take the following actions:

• Use caution.
• Reduce your speed.
• Pull over.
• Call 911 to report.

Review the information below to understand what each sign and marking means and how to respond as a driver.

Fatal wrong-way driving crashes on our nation’s highways are a persistent and devastating threat that is only getting worse. According to the latest data analysis from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, there were 2,008 deaths from wrong-way driving crashes on divided highways between 2015 and 2018, an average of approximately 500 deaths a year. That is up 34 percent from the 375 deaths annually from 2010 to 2014. Researchers found that the odds of being a wrong-way driver increased with alcohol impairment, older age and driving without a passenger.

AAA works with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and other traffic safety organizations to educate drivers on the deadly impact of wrong-way driving. In light of these latest research findings, AAA and the NTSB are urging state transportation agencies to adopt driver-based countermeasures that address these factors, such as alcohol ignition interlocks, strengthened deterrence strategies like sobriety checkpoints, driver refresher courses for older adults and the installation of more visible signs and signals.

Six in ten wrong-way crashes involved an alcohol-impaired driver. Those with blood alcohol concentrations over the legal limit of 0.08 percent were significantly more likely to be wrong-way drivers than non-alcohol-impaired drivers involved in the same crashes.

Tips provided by Florida DOT and NTSB