STORRS, Conn. (WTNH) — There are alarming statistics when it comes to wrong-way crashes in Connecticut, and the Connecticut Transportation Institute said there’s been more wrong-way fatal crashes this year than the last three combined.

Waterbury, Manchester, Seymour, and counting; these are only a handful of the wrong-way driving incidents and crashes happening in Connecticut since the start of 2022.

Eric Jackson, executive director of the Connecticut Transportation Institute, said that in a typical year, there are around three to five wrong-way crashes, but this year, they’ve already seen 11 on the roadways with five months to go.

“What we see is the vast majority of fatal wrong-way crashes involve a driver that’s impaired by either drugs or alcohol,” Jackson said.

Jackson said the wrong-way crashes aren’t happening because of bad signage or confusing on-and-off ramps, but rather, this is a human behavior issue.

“Most of the time, the BAC of the driver involved in the crash going the wrong-way has a BAC that’s above .2, which is more than twice the legal limit,” Jackson said.

The Institute at UCONN has a car cimulation lab, where they hope to research and learn more about drivers and what they do while impaired. They want to learn more about drivers’ habits and responses to prevent these fatalities.

While many are familiar with the slogan “don’t drink and drive,” the institute is actively working on a new campaign so that driver’s truly get the message.