United States Department of Transportation
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NTL Classification:NTL-SAFETY AND SECURITY-Accidents;NTL-SAFETY AND SECURITY-Highway Safety;NTL-SAFETY AND SECURITY-Human Factors;
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Abstract:Vehicles that enter freeway exit ramps going the wrong way present one of the most serious traffic hazards on
Arizona’s urban freeways. Moler cites a study that finds on average 350 people are killed annually in the United
States as a result of wrong-way crashes (Moler 2002). This typically occurs due to one or more of these reasons:
(1) the driver is impaired; (2) the driver gets distracted or is confused; or (3) the signage and markings are
difficult to follow. The primary focus of this research was to determine the viability of existing detector systems to
identify entry of wrong-way vehicles onto the highway system using five different technologies: microwave
sensors, Doppler radar, video imaging, thermal sensors, and magnetic sensors. The devices were installed on
freeway exit ramps. Each device was tested in both a controlled environment and in the field under normal traffic
operating conditions. During the controlled testing, staged events were conducted to determine whether the
devices would accurately detect wrong-way vehicles. The study results of this proof of concept effort verify that
wrong-way vehicles can be detected using easily deployable equipment that is currently available on the market.
While each system tested over the trial period had missed or false calls, none of the systems were installed
under the vendors’ ideal conditions.
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