DOVER, Del.- Delaware's Department of Transportation (DelDOT) has introduced a new system aimed at pointing drivers in the right direction.
The wrong way driving alert system is designed to prevent the deadliest types of crashes from occurring.
Located off the Exit 95 off-ramp from Route 1 northbound, which sees hundreds of cars every day. Sometimes drivers make the fatal mistake of driving up this road in the wrong direction.
According to C.R. McLeod of DelDOT, "last year we had seven of these crashes that resulted in 12 deaths, sadly."
State police officials believe the ever-changing landscape of roads throughout Delaware may be a contributing factor leading to these deadly accidents.
Senior Corporal Leonard DeMalto said, "as a trooper, I see people driving incorrectly all the time, and there is no bad intention, but when you talk to them about it, they say, 'I just had no idea. I have been living here for 20 years, and this is the way it's always been, but now it's different.'"
The new alert system is designed to flash red lights on the signs if a car is heading up the road in the wrong direction to alert the driver that they should turn around immediately.
The system would also allow DelDOT to dispatch state police to the scene as soon as possible, as every second counts when a vehicle is entering a highway in the wrong direction.
DelDOT can now alert drivers coming off the exit through message boards that a wrong-way driver might be headed their way.
The department has been working to install the system since the fall, and it is now officially up and running.
McLeod said DelDOT is already considering installing the same alert system in other areas throughout the state, if this the pilot program proves to be effective.