San Diego Councilwoman Marni von Wilpert chairs the city’s active transportation and infrastructure committee. And after a wrong-way driver killed two San Diego police officers earlier this summer, she contacted Caltrans to coordinate efforts to reduce these accidents.
“Please join me in a moment of silence for their memories and respect these officers,” Von Wilpert said. "Sadly, they are not the only ones. There have been multiple wrong way driving incidents in the San Diego transportation network.”
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Detectives Ryan Park and Jamie Huntley-Park were killed by a wrong-way driver on Interstate 5 near the U.S.-Mexico border.
Caltrans District 11 Director Gustavo Dallarda says Caltrans crews are upgrading and expanding countermeasures, like adding large wrong way signs and red reflectors to more than 67 freeway onramps throughout the county.
“Most of the driving public is not going to see these countermeasures and that’s a good thing, because these are designed to be visible when you’re driving the wrong way,” Dallarda said.
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An educational campaign about impaired driving, one of the main causes of wrong way driving and accidents, is also being launched.
“We will be working with elected officials, law enforcement, community organizations and other state officials to educate the public on the causes and methods available to curb wrong way driving,” Dallarda said.
The California Highway Patrol recommends if you do encounter a wrong way driver to use extreme caution and call 911. If you are able to provide a description of the car and which highway it’s traveling, you could save a life.
