Arizona is about to become the first state in the nation to use thermal cameras to detect wrong-way drivers on freeways. The cameras will be installed next month along a 15-mile stretch of roadway that spans from Central to North Phoenix.
State troopers often don’t know about a wrong-way driver until someone calls 9-1-1. But after the installation of these thermal cameras along Interstate 17, “the notification’s going to be nearly instantaneous,” said Doug Nintzel, of the Arizona Department of Transportation.
Nintzel said when a camera detects a wrong-way vehicle, it will alert law enforcement and trigger a flashing sign for the wrong-way driver.
“We’ll be able to also instantly post messages for drivers who are going in the correct direction that a wrong-way vehicle is ahead,” he said.
Nintzel says so far this year, at least nine people have died in wrong-way crashes in Arizona.
