JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — When cars collide at high speeds, head on, the result is often devastating and deadly.
So over the last year, the Florida Department of Transportation says it has been adding a wrong-way driver detection system to multiple on-ramps to help stop drivers before they get on the interstate.
For example: on Old St Augustine Road, the turn onto the I-95 northbound on-ramp is separated from the I-95 northbound exit ramp traffic by a small median. A miscalculation by a distracted or impaired driver could put that driver on the wrong ramp, driving the wrong way.
So how does it all work?
First line of defense are distinct, red signs that read "Wrong Way". Multiple signs line the ramp to catch the driver’s attention and hopefully stop them. Next, there is a camera and infrared sensor attached to a pole next to the ramp that will detect if a vehicle is traveling in the wrong direction and send an alert to Florida Highway Patrol.
As that alert goes out, the overhead message boards on the interstate will also change.
"It notifies drivers in the area through electronic message boards that there is a driver headed in the wrong direction in the area," tells Bianca Speights with FDOT.
She says they system has already detected 42 wrong way drivers at various ramps. While she says FDOT hopes it will help reduce crashes, drivers still have to do their part.
"It still is very helpful for drivers to pay attention when they are driving," she says.
Speights says FDOT hopes to have it complete by the end of the year or early next year and each interchange with the wrong-way detection system costs around $70,000- $80,000.
