Helping to prevent wrong-way drivers

June 6, 2024

By Val Lopez

FORT WORTH—It happens almost always late at night, and more so in the earliest of morning hours. And it almost always involves drivers that are not only under the influence, but profoundly so, with drunk drivers that are usually more than twice the legal limit for intoxication.

These are wrong-way driver wrecks, and while they make up less than 1% of all crashes statewide, they are among the most severe: head-on collisions.

TxDOT is continuously studying and implementing new engineering enhancements to provide safer roads.

“Our team has worked hard over the years to implement many countermeasures for wrong way driving, from signing and pavement markings to advanced detection systems,” said Theresa Poer, director of transportation operations for TxDOT’s Fort Worth district. “These systems are very effective, but the best deterrent is to remain a vigilant defensive driver and never get behind the wheel after drinking.”

Nearly a decade ago, TxDOT began pilot programs in some of the largest cities in the state, installing a variety of wrong-way countermeasures on corridors identified as having the most wrong-way drivers.

Since most-wrong way drivers are impaired, and impaired drivers focus on the pavement directly in front of the car, several of the countermeasures have been developed with that understanding, while others are used to notify TxDOT staff about wrong-way drivers in real time.

Countermeasures installed included:

• Reflective pavement arrows
• LED wrong-way flashing signs
• New signs with reflective tape that are lower to the ground
• Radar detection modules
• HD traffic cameras
• Thermal sensors utilizing AI to reduce false alarms

In the Fort Worth area alone, more than 90% of wrong-way drivers self-corrected their actions before even getting on the highway. Now all the major metro areas of Texas have at least some wrong-way driver countermeasures on highways.

TxDOT is committed to being a partner in safety while also recognizing the crucial role drivers must play in safe roadways too. These crashes are heartbreaking because they are completely preventable, so TxDOT is sending all Texans a simple message: If you drink any amount of alcohol, do NOT get behind the wheel.

• Even a single drink can impair your ability to drive. Alcohol slows reaction time, makes it harder to properly gauge speed and distance and impairs vision.
• Alcohol also makes it harder to tell when you’re impaired, so don’t take the risk of a crash or an arrest. You could hurt yourself or cause life-altering, disabling and permanent injuries. Driving after drinking is never worth it.