ARKANSAS, USA — The Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) has begun the process of installing 140 wrong-way detection sensors across Interstate 40 to try and curb the number of wrong-way collisions in the state.
"We're on the leading edge of this," Public Information for ARDOT Dave Parker said. "Arkansas is one of the first states to put these sensors in."
According to Parker, this project is expected to cost just under $55 million. He said the sensors will not only be equipped with flashing lights to notify and warn drivers, but it will also alert law enforcement.
Attached with a camera, the sensors will tell law enforcement which type of car is being driven, and where the wrong-way driving took place.
"Word of that wrong-way driver heading down the interstate goes immediately to state police so that an alarm system can go out," Parker said. "Ultimately, if it needs to be, they are tracked down and stopped."
He said investing in this system was necessary after seeing an uptick in wrong-way crashes across several states.
"We noticed in a lot of states recently, that the amount of wrong-way crashes incidents had gone up quite a bit," Parker said. "We did a test back in January and February and we looked at one area, and in that one area, within one week, we had five incidents of wrong-way driving. That's pretty alarming because most wrong-way incidents involve a fatality."
A close call with a wrong-way driver is something Arkansas State Police (ASP) Capt. Brad Lann knows all too well.
"Back in 2007, I was a newer trooper back then, and I met one coming around a curve on Interstate 430 and I was able to swerve hard enough to the right," Lann said. "We ended up slapping mirrors, and I ended up hitting a tree because of it."
If you see a wrong-way driver, ASP asks Arkansans to call 911 immediately.
"The more people that call, the more precise locations we can get, and we can get somebody to get the interstate shut down," Lann said.
Lann also has advice for those who may be faced with a wrong-way driver.
"Especially late at night, if you have a 6-lane highway, in other words, three lanes on each side, try to stay in the middle or right lane," Lann said. "That way if you do encounter one head-on, you know you can take an evasive action if you need to."
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