ESSEX, Mass. — Massachusetts officials are calling efforts to prevent wrong-way crashes “critically important and urgent,” as the state expands technology, roadway improvements and police training aimed at stopping drivers before another tragedy occurs.
The task force meeting coming just days after a 17-year-old was killed in a wrong-way crash on Route 1 in Revere.
[ North Shore community mourning death of high school student killed in wrong-way crash on Route 1 ]
“We need to continue to remember the pain of the loss of Trooper Trainor, Sergeant Cole, Chris Dailey and most recently, a 17-year-old,” officials said during a roundtable discussion on the issue.
Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr, who chairs the Wrong-Way Driving Task Force, said these crashes leave authorities with very little time to intervene.
“Once someone gets on the highway going in the wrong direction going at a high rate of speed, the vehicles traveling in the right direction are traveling at a high rate of speed, so you have a very small window of opportunity to prevent tragedy,” Tarr said.
The task force brings together emergency and first responders, lawmakers and MassDOT to track the progress made since the wrong-way crash that killed Massachusetts State Trooper Kevin Trainor.
For many of those involved, the consequences of these crashes have hit close to home.
“We lost a young man from our community, Chris Dailey. It was a very tragic loss for our community. It hit home and still resonates today,” Gloucester Interim Police Chief Michael Gossom said.
Massachusetts has been working on several fronts to prevent wrong-way driving, including construction projects designed to make it more difficult for drivers to enter major roadways in the wrong direction.
MassDOT has also deployed technology to detect and track wrong-way drivers.
“It comes down to detecting them entering the ramp and then tracking their trajectory so that they keep going, and once they do that we are triggering that alert system,” said Neil Boudreau, MassDOT’s assistant administrator for traffic and safety.
Ten wrong-way detection trailer systems have been placed across the state, along with 90 thermal cameras.
According to thermal-camera data presented by officials, 266 wrong-way drivers have been detected. Of those, 172 corrected themselves, while 94 continued traveling in the wrong direction.
Officials have also targeted specific stretches of roadway for safety improvements.
Along 16.5 miles of Route 1 from Chelsea to Danvers, 380 signs have been added or upgraded. Another 215 signs have been added or upgraded along 17 miles of Route 128 from Peabody to Gloucester.
Officials are also working toward partnerships with apps that could eventually deliver wrong-way driver alerts directly to a driver’s phone or vehicle dashboard.
The task force is also looking at who is most likely to become a wrong-way driver, with officials focusing on people who are under the influence and elderly drivers.
Gossom encouraged families to pay attention if an older relative begins showing signs that their ability behind the wheel is declining.
“Keep an eye on those folks, and when you start to see the signs of, you know, some deterioration in their driving ability, to take action,” Gossom said.
Before Jan. 1, Massachusetts State Police are also expected to roll out academy training specifically focused on responding to wrong-way drivers.
“Because we’ve seen that oftentimes in these cases that in the response, the responding police officer is in harm’s way,” Tarr said.
Officials stressed that the detection systems being used are not Flock camera systems and are not collecting personal information.
MIT and UMass are also pursuing a special grant for additional tracking data.
Officials said they will next consider whether a public meeting on wrong-way driving is needed.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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