DOVER, Del. - The Delaware Department of Transportation says that they have installed a wrong way driving detection and alert system on the Exit 95 off-ramp from SR 1 heading north to Bay Road and SR 10 (E Lebanon Road) near the Dover Air Force Base North Gate.
The department says this system is the first of its kind in Delaware that alerts and corrects wrong-way drivers before they enter the highway.
According to the department, the system works like this: when a wrong-way car or truck is detected, red lights will flash on the Do Not Enter and Wrong Way signs facing the wrong way driver. They say the flashing lights are intended to alert the driver that they are traveling in the wrong direction and should turn around immediately.
The department says also included in this system are two cameras, which allows the department's 24/7 Transportation Management Center to dispatch State Police and post messages on variable message signs to alert drivers on heading north on SR 1 to a possible wrong way driver.
In 2022, the department says that Delaware experience a sharp increase in deadly wrong-way driving crashes from the year prior, with seven total crashes killing 12 people. Because of this, the department says it 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.
They also say that this first sensor is only a pilot to test Intelligent Transportation System equipment, the data from which they will use to 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.”
