What technology exists to prevent wrong way driving?

AUSTIN (KXAN) — After a driver died in a wrong-way crash on Interstate 35 Thursday, KXAN looked into what state agencies have when it comes to technology that is implemented to alert drivers if they are driving the wrong way.

Around 2:15 a.m. Thursday, the Austin Police Department responded to a crash between an 18-wheeler and a small vehicle on I-35 near the Parmer Lane exit.

According to APD, a 911 call was made regarding a wrong-way driver going south on northbound I-35 prior to the crash. Police said the driver heading the wrong way died.

Data collected by the American Automobile Association (AAA) found that there were "2,008 deaths from wrong-way driving crashes on divided highways between 2015 and 2018." That averages to approximately 500 deaths a year in that time frame.

"When they do happen, they have very serious consequences, because oftentimes they happen in the dark of night, and they're happening at high speeds, and they come completely unexpected for drivers who are involved," said Doug Shupe, a spokesperson for AAA Texas.

There have been several technological measures implemented by Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority (CTRMA) to alert drivers if they are driving the wrong way in past years.

Back in 2019, CTRMA implemented the TAPCO Wrong-Way Alert System on 45 Southwest Toll Road. Cars that are connected to system would be alerted they are going the wrong way. Cars not connected to the system would also be notified by LED-enhanced road signs that would flash if one was going the wrong way.

TxDOT has worked on implementing similar technology in one-way work zones using sensors that would flash a "Wrong Way" sign mounted on a trailer.

"The National Transportation Safety Board also recommends systems that can detect and prevent wrong way driving," Shupe said. "If we can prevent drivers from entering the highways, from exit ramps, that's going to go a long way in preventing a lot of the fatalities and serious injuries."