DOT Introduces Wrong-Way Warning Light Signs at Exit 8 in Danbury
A brand new technology is being tested in the state for the first time and only in Danbury.
Exit 8 on I-84 in Danbury is Connecticut's pilot location for the use of wrong-way signs that include flashing red lights to help combat wrong-way driving. The state has chosen the Exit 8 location because of its geometry and location, according to the News Times.
The state also picked the location because of the intersection's configuration, and how it can be confusing for drivers. Department of Transportation spokesman, Kevin Nursick says that Exit 8 is "one of the few places that we know wrong-way drivers have accessed highways in the wrong direction."
Nursick went on to say that 70% of wrong-way crashes take place between 8:00 pm and 6:00 am, and most of the time involve intoxicated drivers.
One of the most horrific wrong-way crashes took place on the Taconic River Parkway in Mount Pleasant on Sunday, July 26 at 1:30 pm when 36-year-old Diane Schuler driving a minivan traveled 1.7 miles in the wrong direction. Schuler collided head-on with an SUV killing eight people.
The investigation into the cause of the Taconic Parkway crash received nationwide attention. After 11 months of analysis, the case was ruled a homicide when the New York State Police issued their final report in June of 2010 stating that toxicology findings confirmed that Schuler was highly intoxicated and had high levels of THC in her system at the time of the accident.