ADOT testing ways to make roadways safer

Pilot program working on issue of wrong-way drivers

Wrong-way drivers on roadways are one of the most dangerous elements other drivers can face.

The Arizona Department of Transportation has been working extensively to address that danger over the last few years.

According to their website, the agency has installed larger and lowered “Wrong Way” and “Do Not Enter” signs along hundreds of freeway ramps and overpasses both in Phoenix and along the rural state highways.

ADOT also has a pilot project along Interstate 17 that uses a thermal detection system that is designed to detect wrong-way vehicles and alert other drivers and law enforcement officers on the roadway.

The $3.7 million project is the first of its kind in the nation, and is installed on a 15-mile stretch of the interstate, from Interstate 10 to the Loop 101.

According to ADOT, the system has several features.

• It will combine detection systems at freeway exit ramps, on the freeway and on freewayto-freeway ramps to alert law enforcement and ADOT traffic operators and keep them apprised of the vehicle’s location.

• At exit ramps, flashing LED warning signs will attempt to get the wrong-way driver to self-correct, while the system will activate alerts on overhead message boards and automatically turn traffic cameras toward the wrong-way vehicle to help ADOT operators track it.

• Thermal sensor cameras will be used to detect the wrong-way vehicle on the mainline freeway and update its location for law enforcement officers and traffic operators.

ADOT is taking an aggressive approach to stopping this problem, which is great because wrong-way drivers aren’t limited to a 15-mile stretch of I-17. Wrongway drivers happen all over the state.

ADOT points out, however, that the majority of wrong-way drivers are intoxicated or otherwise impaired. So the best way to prevent a wrong-way crash is to stop said drivers from getting behind the wheel.

In reality, stopping wrong-way drivers will take multiple approaches. Keeping impaired drivers off the road is a critical part of the equation. But it’s also important to call 911 if you see a wrong-way driver on the road. And, be alert and cautious when you get on the road. It’s not out of the realm of possibility to be rushed, to misread a sign, and wind up going the wrong way.

It’s terrific that ADOT is trying new programs to stop wrong-way drivers. Hopefully, ADOT’s I-17 pilot program will yield positive results, and can be rolled out to the rest of the state.

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