Alarming radio announcement on FM. (NDR 1 Welle Nord jingle)

"Attention car drivers - a wrong-way driver on autobahn A 7 direction Flensburg. A vehicle is approaching you in wrong direction between junction Bordesholm and Warder. Please drive carefully in both directions! We will inform you immediately if the danger is over!" (sometimes repeated...)

Since October 2012, 19 people have died on German autobahns, caused by wrong-way drivers, also called "ghost drivers" (Geisterfahrer). The German 'AAA', called ADAC - the second biggest motorists' association in the world with 18 million members, published this alarming figure in its latest monthly members' magazine "Motorwelt".

Giving advice how to cope with such a rare event, the ADAC has also proposed to add a new sign to the collection of German traffic signs - this time an Austrian one.

(see here: http://de.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Datei:Falschfahrer_Schilder.jpg&filetimestamp=20050827115551)

How come that these incidents can occur on the safest roads in Germany, the autobahns.

Somewhat made fool-proof here, it's "nearly" impossible to make it wrong at a German autobahn entrance. Why, you might ask? The rule is that if you get on a transfer road to an autobahn or an entrance, you always turn your steering wheel to the right hand side, making a left turn there is definitely wrong.

Of course, you can come from a left turn when entering an autobahn but once you are passing this sign "Autobahn" (http://de.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Datei:Zeichen_330.svg&filetimestamp=20060307164045)

or "Kraftfahrstraße" ( http://de.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Datei:Zeichen_331.svg&filetimestamp=20060729145019), your steering wheel must go to the right hand side - no discussions.

Another specialty for German or Austrian autobahns. The directions (effectively, one-way roads without any left-turns) are strictly separated by "guard railings" to both sides of the roads (see: http://de.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Datei:Bauteile_Schutzplanke.png&filetimestamp=20100614163509 or http://www.ngz-online.de/grevenbroich/nachrichten/crashtest-an-der-beton-planke-1.2890091 ).

Again, how come that despite these precautions such incidents can occur here?

Possible explanations:

#1 DUI (alcohol, drugs),

#2 Intentionally - suicide attempt or "no risk - no fun" - competition, very often committed by youngsters,

#3 Senior drivers - being unfit to cope with complex traffic situations,

#4 Bad weather - heavy rain, foggy conditions, deteriorated by night,

#5 Lack of attentiveness, kind of negligence,

#6 Being overwhelmed by too many traffic signs in a row, esp. in construction areas.

Please add your own opinion to the list.

Is this a topic in the United States?

Finally, a sarcastic joke.

Oesterreich 3 - Austrian FM radio station (jingle)

(transl.)

"Attention car drivers - a wrong-way driver on autobahn A1 direction Linz near junction St. Pölten. A vehicle is approching you on the wrong side. Please, stay on the right - do not pass! We will inform you if the danger is over."

Some minutes later.

Oesterreich 3 (jingle).

"Attention car drivers - the danger by the wrong-way driver is over. The vehicle is now under a truck and is heading opposite direction."