A wrong-way driver caused an accident on Autobahn 38 near Leinefelde in Eichsfeld on Tuesday. A total of three people died.
According to the highway police, the wrong-way driver drove onto the highway from a parking lot in the opposite direction of travel around 2 p.m. After three kilometers he collided with an oncoming car near the Eichsfeld parking lot. Both the person who caused the accident and two occupants of the other car died.
The autobahn is completely closed in both directions between Breitenworbis and Leinefelde. According to the police, the closure will last into the night.
ADAC: Check driveways for safety
The spokesman for the ADAC Hessen-Thüringen, Oliver Reidegeld, spoke out in favor of checking some driveways again for their safety. However, there is no such thing as 100% security against a wrong rear end, he said. Reidegeld also does not see the Austrian variant with center of gravity sensors as the best solution for stopping wrong-way drivers. For example, there could be problems if emergency vehicles had to drive up against the direction of travel during an operation. Then the sensors would have to be deactivated first.
According to the ADAC, the number of accidents involving wrong-way drivers is comparatively low. Last year, 48 wrong-way drivers were reported in Thuringia. Nationwide there were 1,800.