BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 162
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Date of Hearing: April 6, 2015
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION
Jim Frazier, Chair
AB 162
(Rodriguez) - As Amended March 24, 2015
SUBJECT: State highways: wrong-way driving
SUMMARY: Requires the California Department of Transportation
(Caltrans) by January 1, 2017 to update their 1989 report on
wrong-way driving to reflect recent technological advancements.
Specifically, this bill:
1)Makes findings and declarations about the dangers of wrong-way
driving, the frequency of its occurrence in California, and
the need for preventative countermeasures.
2)Requires Caltrans, in consultation with the California
Department of Highway Patrol (CHP), to update the report
entitled Prevention of Wrong-Way Accidents, dated June, 1989.
3)Requires that the updated report include a review of methods
studied and/or implemented by other states, as well as local
or non-governmental entities that could help to prevent
wrong-way drivers from entering state highways.
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4)Requires that the updated report include a plan to incorporate
the identified treatments and technologies into Caltrans'
annual wrong-way monitoring and mitigation program for the
state highway system.
5)Requires that the updated report be provided to the
Legislature on or before January 1, 2017.
EXISTING LAW:
1)Generally requires that vehicles drive on the right hand side
of the road.
2)Specifies that willful violation of the requirement to drive
on the right hand side of a highway barrier or dividing
section that results in injury or death is punishable by
imprisonment.
3)Required Caltrans to prepare a one-time study on the
prevention of wrong-way accidents on freeways.
FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown
COMMENTS: Although wrong-way crashes occur relatively
infrequently, these types of crashes often result in fatalities
and serious injuries. The author points out that wrong-way
driving has been a persistent traffic safety problem in
California despite Caltrans' efforts to reduce it. The author
contends that recent reports produced by the National
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Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) as well as those produced in
other states indicate that there may be additional wrong-way
driving countermeasures that could be effectively utilized in
California.
To ensure that all potentially effective wrong-way driving
countermeasures are considered and utilized in California, the
author has introduced this bill which would require Caltrans, in
consultation with CHP, to update its 1989 wrong-way accident
prevention report to include recent technological advances. The
bill also requires Caltrans to include in the updated report, a
plan to incorporate the treatments and countermeasures into
Caltrans' annual wrong-way mitigation and monitoring program for
state highways.
Wrong-way driving, as the name implies, involves driving a motor
vehicle against the direction of traffic. Wrong-way driving can
occur on any roadway, but on divided highways and especially on
freeways and expressways, wrong-way driving typically results in
catastrophic head-on collisions. According to the NTSB, 360
lives were lost annually between 2004 and 2009 as a result of
wrong-way driving. According to CHP, in California between 2001
and 2014, there have been a total of 1,541 wrong-way driving
collisions resulting in 1,687 injuries and 271 fatalities.
Wrong way drivers typically enter divided highways at
intersections and off-ramps. The cause of these wrong-way
entries has reportedly shifted over time. An investigation of
contributing factors for wrong-way driving prepared for the
Illinois Center for Transportation in 2012 reported that in the
past, most wrong-way entries were caused by drivers who were
confused by ramp configurations. Improved ramp designs,
signage, pavement markings, and lighting, however, have reduced
driver confusion and associated wrong-way entries. Currently,
the NTSB indicates that the majority (60%) of wrong-way crashes
are associated with driving under the influence of drugs and/or
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alcohol (DUI). The NTSB also reports, and the CHP concurs, that
elderly and fatigued drivers also contribute to the number
wrong-way driving accidents nationwide.
In 1989, as a requirement of SB 233 (Davis), Chapter 153,
Statutes of 1987, Caltrans produced a report entitled Prevention
of Wrong-Way Accidents on Freeways. The purpose of the report
was to determine actions and measures needed to prevent
wrong-way entries onto state highways. The report, among other
things, recommended specific countermeasures and encouraged
Caltrans to continue its pro-active annual monitoring and
reporting program for wrong-way accidents that was initiated in
1985. Specifically, the annual monitoring program, which is
still conducted today, serves to identify locations where
wrong-way entries occur statewide, followed by thorough site
investigations that include, among other things, follow-up
officer interviews with those involved in the accident as well
as eyewitnesses. Based on the information gathered in these
investigations, Caltrans installs countermeasures where
appropriate. Caltrans notes that these safety improvements are
the department's top priority and that they are initiated,
programmed, and completed as soon as possible.
While Caltrans continues to rely upon the 1989 report to for
countermeasures, they also utilize information and
countermeasures contained in more recent studies and reports,
including those prepared by NTSB. Regardless, updating the 1989
wrong-way driving report as required by this bill would no doubt
offer Caltrans the opportunity to evaluate newly available
countermeasures and technologies that have been developed and
are currently being effectively deployed in other states. A
more up-to-date report would undoubtedly allow for broader
consideration and deployment of programs and technologies to
reduce wrong-way accidents in California.
Previous legislation: SB 233 (Davis), Chapter 153, Statutes of
1987, required Caltrans to produce a study on the wrong-way
driving problem on state freeways.
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REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:
Support
American Medical Response
California Ambulance Association
California Association of Highway Patrolmen
Opposition
None on file
Analysis Prepared by:Victoria Alvarez / TRANS. / (916) 319-2093
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