LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Despite the Nevada Department of Transportation installing new wrong-way driver detection systems, just this weekend police say two more people died during a deadly wrong-way driver crash.
After this crash, some are questioning the effectiveness of the technology, which includes flashing lights to alert drivers that they're going the wrong way.
Though these new systems have only been operational for a few months, the three-year pilot program NDOT ran with the devices was successful, says public information officer Kelsey McFarland.
"It showed about 84% of drivers who saw that wrong-way alert system did turn around," McFarland said.
The Transportation Research Board reports around 360 wrong-way driver deaths per year nationwide. Even with these new systems, drivers tell Channel 13 they're concerned about wrong-way drivers on the roads.
"It's dangerous because you never know when it could impact you, because they could be coming, and it's just really scary," said Jeremy Perez, who says he stays vigilant on the roads.
"You always have to be very vigilant when you're driving, because I feel like it happens more often than usual," said Las Vegas resident Carlos Luera.
NDOT installed 37 of the wrong-way driver indicator systems across the state, including four on U.S. 95.
McFarland says they can only do so much, though; it's up to the drivers to be responsible, as well.
"We can't engineer our way out of people making bad decisions like driving impaired or people driving sleepy, but this is the next best thing that we have," McFarland said.
She says if you do encounter a wrong-way driver, it'll probably be late at night. She says to contact authorities, safely honk your horn, flash your lights and try to stay in the right lane to avoid them.
"A lot of them are going to be in the far left lane or the fast lane, because as they're entering they're thinking they're in the slow lane," McFarland said.
NDOT says it plans to improve wrong-way driving technology to help stop this issue from happening across our valley.
