Last night, the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) highlighted ongoing efforts to mitigate wrong way driving crashes in the state at a demonstration event in Southington. Joined by the Connecticut State Police, local law enforcement, and state and local officials, CTDOT held the event at a closed off-ramp on Queen Street in Southington to demonstrate the effectiveness of wrong way LED-flashing technology to stop a wrong way driver.
“This year has been by far the deadliest year in recent memory, with 22 wrong way fatalities occurring on the highways. In fact, 2022 exceeds the number of wrong way fatalities from the previous three years combined. With more than 85% of wrong way drivers found to be impaired, we need people to think twice before getting behind the wheel because one wrong move can be deadly,” CTDOT Commissioner Joe Giulietti said. “Thank you to Governor Lamont, Senator Fonfara, and the General Assembly for providing the DOT with additional funds which allows us to install additional mitigation measures to reduce wrong way crashes.”
In July, the State Bond Commission approved $20 million in funding for wrong way mitigation measures around the state. The funding has allowed CTDOT to accelerate the installation of wrong way flashing signage at high-risk ramps in Connecticut. CTDOT is also exploring additional mitigation measures to help reduce wrong way driving in the state
For more information, visit ct.gov/dot.
Note: Members of the media can request videos and photos from the event by emailing CTDOTMedia@ct.gov.