Candelora Supports Wrong-Way Driving Prevention Bill

HARTFORD—House Republican Leader Vincent Candelora on Wednesday supported legislation aimed at combating wrong-way driving, including a step toward his goal of getting rumble strips installed on highway entrance and exit ramps. The bill, H.B. 6746, An Act Concerning Wrong-Way Driving Detection, calls for the installation of wrong-way driving detection systems on at least 120 high-risk exit ramps. It also calls for a public awareness campaign about the growing problem while also requiring the Department of Transportation to provide a grant from available resources to the University of Connecticut to analyze the effectiveness of directional rumble strips. "This mounting crisis is tragically claiming lives on our roadways, and taking action to reverse this trend was among my top priorities heading into this legislative session," said Candelora, who earlier this year submitted a bill requiring DOT to install rumble strips on highway entrance and exit ramps. "I'm looking forward to seeing the study and recommendations on rumble strip installation throughout the state, and I truly hope the awareness campaign will make a difference in educating everyone about this problem." After increases in 2020 and 2021, 2022 delivered another increase wrong-way crashes—13 of them, resulting in 23 fatalities, according to state transportation leaders. Candelora, of North Branford, has been an outspoken critic of the 2021 decision to commercialize marijuana, contending it will make roads less safe. More recently, he voted against a proposal to decriminalize psychedelic mushrooms for the same reason. A wrong-way driving detection system, as described under the bill, would be capable of alerting drivers—using flashing lights—when they're going the wrong way. Such systems would also notify police when a wrong-way driver is detected while also broadcasting a notice on electronic message boards along a highway to alert other motorists. In 2020, $1 million in bonding was approved to purchase signs that flash a warning when they've detected a vehicle entering the road in the wrong direction, and in 2022 an additional $20 million in bonds were approved for DOT to purchase advanced wrong way driving technology. This session, the legislature's Finance Committee has acted favorably on a bond bill that includes $20 million in bonds in each of FY24 and FY25 for wrong way driving countermeasures. The legislation approved unanimously in the House on Wednesday now requires action in the State Senate.