CTNewsJunkie.com reports, Connecticut’s 151 wrong-way driving detection and prevention system installations are working, according to a Connecticut DOT spokesperson. Joe Cooper says, “Nearly 300 drivers have entered the highway in the wrong direction, saw the flashing lights, stopped, and turned around. Those are lives saved as a result of this technology.”
The state employs video cameras to detect vehicles moving the wrong direction. When a wrong-way vehicle is detected, “lights affixed to big red ‘Wrong Way’ signs begin to flash to alert the driver. Meanwhile, the Connecticut DOT Highway Operations Center . . . and State Police receive a real-time alert, allowing authorities to monitor the wrong-way driver on the ramp and respond accordingly.” An online compilation video shows how drivers self-correct after receiving an alert.
CTDOT has already surpassed a statutory goal for deployment of the detection and prevention technology, and it plan to install 200 more systems at high-risk locations.