Massachusetts Deepens Commitment to Road Safety with Mobile Wrong-Way Detection Trailers

TAPCO's mobile trailers are helping MassDOT make wrong-way driving the crash that never happened, giving other agencies a model to follow

BROWN DEER, Wis., Sept. 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- TAPCO, a leading provider of roadway safety technology for state and local transportation agencies, today announced Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) has deployed 14 of TAPCO's Wrong-Way Detection Trailers as part of a broader, phased effort to detect and stop wrong-way driving before it becomes a crash. MassDOT's rollout comes amid a broader national reckoning with wrong-way driving, with Texas and Arkansas Departments of Transportation also moving forward with TAPCO's mobile trailers since the product launched earlier this year. The mobile, solar-powered trailers let agencies test and confirm wrong-way risk at unsignalized ramps without trenching or lengthy engineering review, giving agencies real event data to guide where and how they invest in permanent fixes.

"Wrong-way crashes are rare, but the stakes are high. Without detection data, an agency has only police reports after the fact," said TAPCO President and Chief Executive Officer, Eric Stangel. "An agency can put one up after a crash, during construction or just to check whether a hunch is right, and either way they walk away with real data instead of a guess. It's the same idea behind everything TAPCO builds: turn wrong-way driving into a crash that never happened."

Fatal wrong-way crashes on U.S. divided highways nearly doubled between 2014 and 2023, from 278 a year to 520, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. Over that decade there were 4,164 fatal wrong-way crashes and 5,730 deaths, with wrong-way fatalities rising faster than fatal crashes overall.

In July, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey signed a law requiring MassDOT to build a statewide, data-driven strategy to prevent wrong-way driving, following a string of fatal wrong-way crashes in the state. The law covers infrastructure, technology, education and annual reporting on high-risk locations. Massachusetts is active in confronting the problem, installing new detection technology at a pace of about five locations per week and logging more than 1,000 wrong-way citations over the past two years.

"The introduction of these mobile wrong-way systems have brought awareness to just how many drivers are actually going the wrong way, and we're seeing that most drivers self-correct," said MassDOT Assistant Administrator for Traffic and Safety, Neil Boudreau. "That data is helping our engineers understand driver behavior and shape better design and safety education for our communities going forward."

Each trailer is solar powered and equipped with detection, video cameras and wrong-way signage. When a vehicle enters in the wrong direction, the system activates high-visibility, LED-enhanced signage in the driver's path – a clear cue to turn around before it's too late. It records the event and sends real-time alerts with live video and images to traffic management centers, agency staff and law enforcement, so responders know the location, direction and vehicle before anyone dials 911. Once on location, a trailer is deployable by a single field technician in minutes, without trenching or engineering review, relocatable as conditions change and supported remotely by TAPCO.

Agencies are using the trailers four ways: temporary coverage at ramps affected by construction or detours, fast deployment following a collision, deployment in the event that an existing detection system goes down and risk mapping at locations where nobody yet knows whether there is a problem. In each case the data is the same – how many wrong-way entries occur, where drivers are entering from and how conditions compare before and after a fix.

"Every ramp is different, so there's no single fix that works everywhere," said TAPCO Senior ITS Business Development Manager, Lindsay Harvey. "Our job is to empower agencies to focus resources where they're actually needed instead of being stuck with a one-size-fits-all fix. You get the data, you get to watch driver behavior, and then you know exactly what to build, instead of guessing."

TAPCO's Wrong-Way Detection Trailers are the newest piece of a five-phase strategy MassDOT has built upon since 2013, including signage, pavement markings, lighting and geometric improvements at more than 430 ramps statewide, plus a 2023 pilot of 16 fixed detection systems. Now, trailers are deployed at unsignalized ramps that lack permanent infrastructure.

TAPCO launched the Wrong-Way Detection Trailer earlier this year as the newest addition to a wrong-way portfolio it has been building for 17 years. The portfolio spans four levels of response, from high-visibility signage through full detection and notification, installed on more than 3,000 ramps across 26 states, with treatment levels aligned to National Cooperative Highway Research Program guidance.

Innovations like TAPCO's flagship AI Detection & Notification System have proven successful in communities nationwide, reducing wrong-way crashes by as much as 38% (Texas A&M TTI). The wrong-way portfolio sits inside a broader TAPCO business spanning signage, detection, alerting and software, extending to pedestrian crossings and school zones – all built around the same goal: the crash that never happened.

To learn more, visit tapconet.com/wrong-way.

About TAPCO

TAPCO is a leading provider of intelligent transportation systems (ITS) designed to enhance road safety and increase road and vehicle connectivity. Headquartered in Brown Deer, WI and founded in 1956, TAPCO manufactures innovative ITS systems and software alongside value-added integration and maintenance services. TAPCO has established itself as a trusted partner in improving road safety outcomes with ITS solutions for states, communities and businesses. For further information, please visit TAPCO's website and follow on LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube.

SOURCE TAPCO