DELAWARE — The Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) has recently installed a wrong way driving detection and alert system on the Exit 95 off-ramp from SR 1 northbound to Bay Road and SR 10 (E Lebanon Road) near the Dover Air Force Base North Gate. The alert system is the first of its kind in Delaware to alert and correct wrong way drivers before they enter the highway.
When a wrong-way vehicle is detected, red lights will flash on the Do Not Enter and Wrong Way signs facing the wrong-way driver. The flashing lights are intended to alert the driver that they are traveling in the wrong direction and should turn around immediately. The two cameras included within the system will allow DelDOT’s 24/7 Transportation Management Center to dispatch Delaware State Police and post messages on variable message signs to alert motorists on northbound SR 1 to a possible wrong-way driver.
In 2022, Delaware experienced a sharp increase in fatal wrong-way driving crashes from years prior, with seven fatal crashes claiming 12 lives. As such, DelDOT has been working to implement improvements statewide to deter wrong-way entries onto highways, including enhanced signing and pavement markings at freeway entrance ramps to provide ample warning of wrong-way travel.
The project at this location is a pilot to test Intelligent Transportation System equipment designed to deter wrong-way entries onto highways. DelDOT will monitor this system to determine the number of detected wrong-way entry attempts and determine its effectiveness.
“We are working every day to make our roads safer. Every second counts when a vehicle enters a road and travels in the wrong direction and we will look to expand this system to other locations across the state should it prove to be a successful deterrent,” said Secretary of Transportation Nicole Majeski.
Colonel Melissa Zebley, Superintendent of the Delaware State Police added, “Collisions resulting from wrong-way drivers are often catastrophic and deadly. The Delaware State Police are not strangers to these dangers as our agency has investigated numerous collisions, and tragically lost troopers stemming from wrong-way drivers. I’m thankful for our partnership with DelDOT, as we employ technology to increase highway safety in Delaware.”
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