Drivers may become involved in wrong-way accidents if they cross a double
yellow line. Drivers could accidentally cross a double yellow line if
they pass illegally, drive distracted, fall asleep while operating a vehicle,
or if they are intoxicated. In some cases, motorists make mistakes and
get onto highways going in the wrong direction.
Efforts are underway to prevent wrong-way collisions, and reports indicate
that new technology could potentially be effective at significantly bringing
down car crash rates caused by drivers going in the wrong direction. While
the technology in question is not currently deployed, rules are expected
to change as soon as the end of this year. New rules would make it mandatory
to incorporate the new technology in both light duty cars as well as in trucks.
New Technology Aimed at Prevention of Wrong-Way Crashes
The new technology which could make a substantial difference in reducing
rates of wrong way
car crashes is smart in-vehicle technology which allows communication from one vehicle
to another. The communication would use radio frequency (RF) and there
is a special RF channel which has already been reserved by Federal Communications
Commission (FCC) for this purpose.
The technology is still in development, with an app currently being tested
and expected to be ready very soon. The Department of Transportation has
been conducting research on smart technologies and vehicle-to-vehicle
communications systems for around 10 years, and the results have been
promising. Some estimates suggest up to an 80 percent reduction in crash
rates could be achieved with the proper use of effective vehicle-to-vehicle
communication systems.
This type of system could allow drivers to talk to one another to warn
other motorists on the road of a wrong-way driver, or of other impending
obstacles which could result in a motor vehicle collision occurring. The
system would also provide an alert to local transportation authorities
regarding a wrong-way driver on the road so the authorities could take
appropriate protective and responsive actions to the threat. Finally,
warnings could be issued to alert the driver who was traveling in the
wrong direction on the road.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is already involved in the
rule-making process to require the incorporation of the new technology
by the end of the year. Hopefully, once it becomes a standard feature
in vehicles, it will make a big difference in crash rates. The problem,
however, is unless and until there is full automation in vehicles, human
error is still going to be a threat. If a driver is drunk, sleeping or
otherwise unable to respond to a warning about a wrong-way crash, the
accident is still going to happen even with communications technology
installed in the car.
Regardless of any technological advances, people remain responsible for
making safe decisions and drivers are in the best position to avoid motor
vehicle accidents.