Calling wrong-way crashes "brutal," "preventable" and on the rise, Connecticut officials debuted their multi-media ad campaign to try and stop them. It's called "One Wrong Move."
The campaign arrives after wrong-way crashes increased drastically in 2022, killing 23 people in the state. In January of this year, the trend also claimed the life of a high profile victim, state Rep. Quentin "Q" Williams of Middletown.
"Wrong-way driving is just such a brutal crash," says Connecticut Dept. of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto. "It's so high velocity, it causes such significant damage. Of all the crashes, it's the most deadly."
The campaign reminds drivers to stay alert-- and to stay sober. The state estimates more than 80 percent of wrong-way crashes involve impaired drivers.
Introducing the ad campaign at a midday news conference near an I-84 ramp in Southington, Gov. Ned Lamont, Eucalitto and other state officials also highlighted new "wrong way" signs with motion-activated flashing lights, to hopefully turn back drivers in the process of making a deadly mistake.
They've been installed at 10 locations, with another 70 on the way this year. It's a $20 million dollar state-funded project. The DOT identifies 236 "high risk" ramps statewide.
Gov. Lamont is concerned with the frequency of wrong-way crashes, which the state says tripled in 2022. He says, "It's shocking how quickly the number of wrong-way driving incidents has been accelerating over these last couple of years."
