Massachusetts Looks to Stop Wrong‑Way Driving With New Tech

Mass officials are thinking about adding more wrong‑way detection lights and cameras to highways after a police officer died in a crash. The Department of Transportation has been testing these systems on 16 exit ramps since last year. They use solar panels, flashing lights and cameras to warn drivers who go the wrong way and to let police know right away. A car was recorded going the wrong way on Route 1 in Saugus just before Officer Trainor’s fatal crash. The footage shows how easily a mistake can happen on a busy road. Police reports say there were more than 530 wrong‑way calls in the fall of 2024, and the number keeps rising each quarter. From 2020 to 2025, a study by AAA Northeast found 338 wrong‑way crashes on divided highways in the state. The most crashes happened in 2024 with 74 incidents, then fell to 46 in 2025. Twenty‑eight of those crashes killed someone, totaling 42 deaths. The high death rate shows how dangerous these collisions can be.Senator Bruce Tarr, who represents parts of Essex and Middlesex counties, wants the state to install the technology everywhere. He points to Connecticut, where similar systems stopped up to 86 % of wrong‑way incidents. Tarr has added money for a state budget amendment to plan more installations. He believes the pilot program is finished and ready for expansion. Governor Maura Healey has also asked transportation officials to speed up the rollout. She says new technology now makes it possible to keep highways safer, and the state should invest in it. AAA reports that alcohol is a common factor in wrong‑way driving, but older drivers or those alone can also make mistakes. Tarr notes that many wrong‑way cases never turn into crashes because drivers correct themselves before entering the highway. This means the problem may be larger than the numbers show.