In the wake of the recent wrong-way freeway accident at Lara in which five people were killed, authorities have necessarily been reviewing how such incidents might be prevented in the future.
Particularly since there have been more incidents since this major accident, on the same stretch of road:
| Wrong-way Crash Audit |
“The review came as a police source revealed yesterday another motorist had been nabbed driving on the wrong side of the freeway just 24 hours after the December 8 accident.”
Terry Mulder, the Victorian Minister for Transport, suggests that the “review will assess road infrastructure, such as signage and line marking, to ensure they achieve national standards.”
Newsflash – a few signs and line markings won’t stop people from getting onto the wrong side of a freeway.
Drunk people, suicidal people, or just plain stupid people aren’t going to heed a few warning signs or lines on the road.
How about something like this?
Spikes.
These can lay dormant and non-protruding on freeway on-ramps and off-ramps, and be designed to pop up when a car is detected – (by radar or road sensor loop) – travelling the wrong way.
They won’t get onto a freeway.
Harsh? Maybe.
But five people dying unnecessarily is harsher.