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Massachusetts says wrong-way alerts are expanding after fatal crashes
State officials say nearly 90 wrong-way detection systems have been installed, with hundreds more planned by next year. The rollout accelerated after a state trooper’s death and a series of fatal crashes.
Massachusetts has installed nearly 90 systems intended to detect wrong-way drivers and plans to add hundreds more by next year, state officials said Monday, Oct. 26, following a deadly wrong-way crash the day before.
The systems include cameras and flashing signs that monitor traffic on roads and alert drivers traveling against the flow. State leaders said dozens were installed in recent months, after a summer push to expand a program that has lagged behind efforts in some neighboring New England states.
The effort gained urgency after State Trooper Kevin Trainor was killed in May when his cruiser collided head-on with a wrong-way driver he was pursuing. A series of fatal wrong-way crashes followed, including a deadly crash reported in the Saugus-Revere area on Sunday.
State officials have not provided details in the information available about the planned installations’ locations or a specific schedule beyond the goal of adding hundreds by next year. The statewide deployment plan is a major expansion of roadside warning and detection infrastructure, though the rollout comes after a series of deadly crashes.