Rhode Island installing wrong-way driver signing

Rhode Island Department of Transport (RIDOT) is undertaking a US$2 million project to upgrade the signing and striping at 145 locations, more than 200 actual ramps, and install detection systems at 24 high-risk areas. The systems not only alert a driver who travelling in the wrong direction, they notify police and other motorists of a potential wrong-way driver. At the two dozen high-risk areas, most in the Providence metropolitan area, new detection systems will sense if a driver has entered a highway o
November 21, 2014 Read time: 2 mins
1699 Rhode Island Department of Transport (RIDOT) is undertaking a US$2 million project to upgrade the signing and striping at 145 locations, more than 200 actual ramps, and install detection systems at 24 high-risk areas. The systems not only alert a driver who travelling in the wrong direction, they notify police and other motorists of a potential wrong-way driver.

At the two dozen high-risk areas, most in the Providence metropolitan area, new detection systems will sense if a driver has entered a highway off-ramp, and activate a series of flashing signs. It will also notify the Rhode Island State Police that someone is driving the wrong way on the road, take a picture of the vehicle, and display a message on overhead signs to warn drivers heading in the opposite direction.

Work has been ongoing since late summer 2014 and will continue through early 2015. All of Rhode Island's limited access highways were targeted for improved signage and pavement markings to clearly distinguish exit ramps from entrance ramps and prevent confusion.

Officials say that while incidents resulting from wrong-way driving make up a small percentage of the overall crashes that take place on the state’s highways, they are far more likely to result in fatalities. RIDOT, which has witnessed nine deaths in the last six years, is working aggressively to add safety features to reduce the occurrence of wrong-day driving. It says alcohol impairment is a leading factor for wrong-way crashes, and most happen on weekends and during evening and overnight hours.

The plan is modelled on a similar project in San Antonio, Texas, where 29 flashing signs were installed along a major highway. Within a year, a 30 per cent reduction in wrong-way driving incidents was reported.
Detection, Monitoring & Machine Vision Classification & Data Collection

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Video-as-a-Sensor technology for intelligent infrastructure solutions from Bosch
    September 4, 2020
    As street and sidewalk congestion and connected vehicle use increases, city planners and traffic engineers face new issues. The challenge to choose technology solutions that can assist today and adapt as autonomous vehicles take to the road is quite complex, as Bosch points out.
    Read More
  • East Africa uses cargo tracking to foils criminals and collect tax
    June 10, 2015
    Shem Oirere looks at the beneficial effect of cargo tracking. The mandatory installation of electronic cargo tracking and security (ECTS) systems in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda has helped enhance revenue collection, enforce cargo handling requirements, improved the business environment of the respective countries’ trade routes and helped cargo hauliers cut costs. This is being spearheaded by the state-owned tax collection agencies and the improved custom duty collection has not only enabled a reduction of im
    Read More
  • Caltrans develops remote remedy for ailing VMS
    February 18, 2014
    A remote diagnostic system for variable message signs keeps Caltrans staff safer and makes them more efficient. District 12 of the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) maintains roads in Orange County including 292 route miles of freeway lanes and 240 directional miles of full-time high occupancy vehicle or carpool lanes. All of these lanes are controlled from the district’s transportation management centre (TMC) using a network of 58 variable message signs (VMS) positioned alongside or abo
    Read More
  • ITS benefits escape public
    June 8, 2015
    John Kendall considers the public’s awareness of the benefits of ITS. While the results of developing ITS technology may be clear to readers of ITS International, there is far less evidence that drivers have any appreciation of what the technology is doing for them. So how aware are drivers of the developments that are designed to make their journeys less congested and safer?
    Read More

Highlighted Content