Iowa DOT Using New Sign Package to Prevent Wrong-Way Drivers

(Ames, IA) — The Iowa Department of Transportation is putting up new signs at intersections and interchanges on state highways to try and prevent more people from going the wrong way.  DOT traffic safety engineer Willey Sorenson says it began with a study along Highway 30 near Ames around ten years ago and now there’s a statewide database ranking all 467 interchanges in Iowa. They started with an intersection ranking guide from the University of Auburn that used crashes, volume of traffic, proximity to liquor stores, and the type of interchange. Sorenson says they added 911 wrong-way calls during the day that didn’t involve a crash and also included GPS navigation data. Sorenson says the signs go along with pavement markings that are designed to make it very clear you are going the wrong way. The signs are the same ones used in the past — but they are larger, more strategically placed, and aimed to catch a driver’s attention. Sorenson says they will have about half of the new wrong-way markings and signs in by Thanksgiving.