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NTTA Working to Prevent Wrong-Way Drivers A letter from NTTA Executive Director Allen Clemson.
Dear TollTag Customer,
Your safety is of the utmost importance to the NTTA – that’s why I’d like to take the time to tell you about what the NTTA is doing to combat a problem facing transportation providers across the nation: wrong-way drivers.
In June of this year, the NTTA formed a task force to examine the recent spate of deadly crashes caused by wrong-way drivers in North Texas, paying extra attention to the ones that have occurred on the Dallas North Tollway. We also looked at ways the NTTA could enhance the safety of our motorists even if it required going beyond industry standards. The task force presented its initial findings on Sept. 23 to the NTTA Board of Directors. (Click here to view the complete report.)
The task force found that there is no single, definitive solution to prevent wrong-way driving accidents – if there was, transportation providers all over the world would have already implemented it. However, it was determined through careful examination of the causes of the accidents, a transportation provider can take steps to curtail the issue.
On the Dallas North Tollway, the common denominator in each accident this year was the wrong-way driver being under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol. While changing behavior is a challenge, the NTTA is committed to doing everything to protect the motorists traveling on its roadways.
The NTTA has already implemented several engineering countermeasures aimed at getting the attention of a possible wrong-way driver, such as installing 30-foot-long arrows made out of raised pavement markings that reflect red when being approached from the wrong direction and adding red reflective tape on all "Wrong Way" and "Do Not Enter" posts. Furthermore, the NTTA has posted additional "Wrong Way" and "Do Not Enter" signs on our System. But we’re not stopping there.
In the coming months, we will test flashing wrong-way signs, as well as new technology to detect wrong-way drivers. Further down the road, we will be considering the possibility of lowering some signs and communicating to motorists going the right way when a wrong-way driver is detected.
The NTTA will be working with its partners in safety, the Department of Public Safety (DPS) and Mothers Against Drunk Driving, to raise awareness of the issue of drunk driving through a comprehensive public education plan. DPS will also be performing quarterly DUI task forces on the NTTA’s roadways.
We have received many suggestions and comments from our customers over the last few months; we welcome those comments. The NTTA is making every effort to respond to your questions and provide you with information about ongoing efforts. I encourage you to report any hazards, suspicious activity, or accidents to the NTTA Command Center by calling (972) 444-HELP (4357) any time, day or night.
Thank you for continuing to drive with the NTTA.
Sincerely,
Allen Clemson
NTTA Executive Director
P.S. Many of you have asked why we do not use spikes to disable the vehicle traveling the wrong-way. Spikes are a great tool for law enforcement and areas where traffic is lower and moving slower, but it is not something that is used on high speed roadways. There is a chance that we could cause more issues using roadway spikes due to the volumes of traffic that travel at higher speeds on our roadways. Also, it could negatively affect response times to other accidents since options for getting emergency crews on the road would be limited. Although spikes are not an option, we appreciate your suggestions – keep ‘em coming.
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