How about at the top of every on and off ramp we putting those spikes they have in parking lots that collapse when you leave the right way but flatten you tires when you try to enter the wrong way.

This will stop these kinds of situations

Steve

They removed MOST of those spikes as drivers were suing for damages and winning. It is CA after all.

hahahahaha......La....as in Louisiana......not L.A.......classic

It is not CA it is Louisiana

Steve that is the best idea I have heard so far. Just had 4 teens killed here in Annapolis Md. for the samething traveling west in the east bound lane. Spike might have just stoped that!

trust_verify I fixed your name for : you trust_not verified. Reading comprehension is not one of your strong points I take it.

Your nickname is trust_verify, but it seems you don't do a good job on the verifying part. This wasn't CA. It was LA. That's LA as in Louisiana, NOT Los Angeles

Lighten up on trust_verify, L.A. is just about the same size (from a population standpoint) as LA. And with global warming it might be larger in a few years as well. Just ask Al (carbon credit)Gore.

LOL How can you lighten up when the article says "LaPlace is about 25 miles west of New Orleans." - Last time I checked CA is just a bit (sarcasm) farther than 25 miles away from New Orleans (New Orleans LA that is).

Steve, while your idea is a good one, I think it just might be a tad cost prohibitive...do you have any idea of how many on and off ramps there are on the country's interstate system???? Especially when the interstates go through MAJOR cities? Good idea, but just too costly to implement. If these idiots can't see the huge, glowing, "DO NOT ENTER" signs posted on the off ramps warning them they are going the wrong way, they are obviously impaired, or shouldn't be allowed a license for not being able to read!

The reason those spikes can't be used is simple: emergency services occassionally need to access the highway the wrong way, and such spikes would cause more deaths due to the resulting delays.

@Trust_Verify.

LMAO, you didn't Verify your post??? Hey, did you even read the article ?? LOL

At 3 am I wonder if alcohol or drugs was involved? Gee, do you think maybe?

What happens when a Police car or ambulance has to go against traffic due to some unforseen event?

Uh Norm

There thousands of people that get off work @ 2 or 3am..Probably alcohol involved, but not for sure..??

@Mike Amato - Didn't you know there is a new suburb of Los Angeles called New Orleans?

I some instances, where lanes are reversed during ecavuations, you can't be having spikes ruining tires when they reverse the lanes.

In all fairness, maybe trust_verify should be given the benefit of the doubt. With all the errors and improper use of punctuation, grammar, etc., that is so common among MSNBC writers, I interpreted the location to be Los Angeles as well, until I actually read the article, which trust_verify apparently didn't do. On the other hand, given the fact that most children and young adults in this country are geographically ignorant, maybe he did read the article and truly believes that New Orleans is a suburb of L.A.

Divah, if they were referring to a suburb in a city in a state it would be- Suburb of Los Angeles, CA. This was LaPlace, LA. I know people don't write letters anymore.. but they still do use addresses and addresses are City, State- Not Suburb of a City, State. And CA was never used. And last I checked, Los Angeles is not a state... Nice try on the deflection.

Steve...

Although it sounds like a viable idea, as another said, consider the cost.

There is also the issue of Emergency Responders access to these sites. Often they need to travel the wrong way on a limited access highway because if not, they'll be caught in the traffic backup from either all lanes being shut down or what more often happens:

THE IDIOTS THAT HAVE TO SLOW DOWN AND GAWK AT THE CARNAGE. If you're not stopping to help, get past as quickly and safely as possible. Think of it this way... YOUR looking might cost someone their life as help is delayed. How would YOU feel if it was your wife or child that bled out because someone had to be a gawker.

trust-verify.... nice pull, I guess I need to buy a new map? I never knew Baton Rouge was a suburb of Disneyland. What a mooron! trust and verify nothing!

XDm9mm, slowing down to gawk on the interstate is against the law. They gave my BIL a ticket in Atlanta for doing it. There is a 40 mph min. speed limit on the interstate, impeding traffic.

Regarding spikes on the ramps:

Pave a lane's width on at least one side around the spikes so that vehicles can travel around them if there is an emergency. Make sure there is proper & obvious signage to direct people around the spikes.

If they are already going to go to the trouble, hypothetically, to install the spikes then adding a little extra pavement should be gravy, I would think.

Nah spikes won't work. Yes they prevent emergency vehicles from entering for rescue at off ramps, but also, what would you do if someone simple turns around from the right direction to the opposite?? Than we'd have to lay these strips every quarter mile on every highway?

stc1993

In SOME states, it's a violation of the state code. Not all. And let's not forget, speeding is a violation also, but how many adhere to that? I'm NOT chastising, just noting most peoples reactions.

And how many times have you been stuck in traffic for just that reason.

I'll slow to a safe speed, I obviously don't blow by doing 65, but I don't slow to a fast walk speed either, like TOO MANY IDIOTS do.

But too many people just HAVE to see all the blood and guts so they can tell the kiddies all about the bad accident they saw while having dinner that night.

People.. if you're NOT going to stop and help, get the hell OUT OF THE WAY as quick as possible. the life you might help save by doing so might be a friends family member... or even one of your own extended family members.

Could there be a strip placed just past any exit that made a sound, indicating you are going the wrong way, that could be a unique sound. The strip must not make a noise going in the correct direction. But, keep in mind that we cannot idiot proof any system. There are people birthing more accomplished idiots all the time.

This truly breaks my heart. I no longer live in Louisiana, but i keep up with the news there and my Condolences to the family of the 5 who lost their lives. God Bless their Souls.

And here we go again....always trying to institute a new 'policy', 'law' or 'implementation' in regards to peoples' 'situational awareness'. Or lack thereof. By this point in our collective lives, I think we should all know by now that...for one reason or another....people will do some pretty unexplainable things and that we should just keep our eyes open, as much as possible. In this specific case, alcohol/drugs/3AM/whatever, may have been contributing factors but the end result is the same. Keep your eyes open for the rest of the society that is prone to idiocy and moronic behaviors.

Ten bucks he was drunk..usually the drunk lives tho.

Steve makes a good post the spikes wouldn't have to extend all the way so an emergency vehicle could drive around on the shoulder but the drunk would get nabbed.

Spike strips are a good idea, but Brewsky is right. When an accident blocks a freeway the only way in is by going the wrong way. Our fire truck has done it a few times. They need to have stronger driving instruction. And stiffer penalties against idiot drivers. I guess the driver did not see ALL the traffic signs or the traffic going in the opposite direction? There are many as-hats on the road. Always be alert of them people!

It is CA after all.

Classic case of "I read the headline, so I know everything I need to know about the whole story!"

I'm up for suggesting a solution. I like the sound thing, but the chances of that happening when we can't even keep bridges up is pretty slim. How about reflectors that face the wrong way at exits and shine in your eyes if you are going the wrong way. Going the 'right way' they would serve as rumble strips to tell you to slow down on the exit.

this made the news because of what happened, but we just had a really bad couple of wrecks lately on I-10.

The best idea is to learn from this and NEVER EVER be the only driver in the left lane. This is the lane that impaired drivers hug because they are going the wrong way and are using the barrier on their right for guideance by probablly going a little slower. They aren't reading signs after entering the ramp either. This was mentioned by a highway patrol officer a few years ago.

I heard this was in LA, is that Lower Alabama?

It's the second one on I-10 here involving wrong way drivers in a few months. The last one was a lady who had grown up here but had moved to Portland, Oregon. That accident took place maybe 10-15 miles from this one. They never did establish what had caused her to get on the interstate heading the wrong way after concluding inebriation was not the cause.

FWIW there's a looping intersection at interchange 206 on I-10 that I could see someone getting confused by in the middle of the night. Especially if under the influence. And it would be pretty easy to end up going back East instead of West.

Another thing besides the drunk driver ideas, some of these area have two way feeder roads so locals don't have to drive 20 miles to get to some shop or cafe. Those darn thing are confusing for sober people. Put alcohol in the mix and you are an accident waiting to happen. We are having a big debate over that very idea locally in a town north of here. The safety board said to make all interstate feeder one way and the local businesses are screaming that it will drive them out of business. You can't win with these thing, damn if you do and damn if you don't . someone is going to be unhappy about change no matter how safe it is. These accidents happen and it is crazy how the news thinks this is national news. Here in Lubbock, it is everyday, because people can't handle the new cars at the speed they allow here. Right now for some reason a lot of people have decide to drive into a house, drunk of course. But you can't get a good nights sleep if your bedroom facing the street, some yahoo decides to drive into you bedroom. and you thinks you are safe from drunks at 2am if you are in your own bed, think again.

Not necessarily. In some areas roadways are poorly marked. It does not always have to be drug or alcohol involved.

At 3AM pretty good chance Joyce is correct and the wrong way driver was buzzzzed.....

Wow, you're good. Can you tell us how many children the driver may have had? What color his eyes were? If he were married?

I'm impressed you got that much out of this article.

@Joyce - I agree that at 3 a.m. it was probably alcohol related, but where you do get the idea that "probably by a repeat offender with a string up DWI charges"? Give me a break, you don't know ANY of that, you are assuming. There is no way to know IF either of the driverswere drinking, let alone whether any of them had any previous DWI charges. I am all for much stiffer penalties for drunk drivers - my son's father was hit by a drunk driver in October and paralyzed from the waist down-so I know the damage they can do to the person they hit AND their families. However, there is NOTHING in this article that says that they determined that alcohol was involved.

Umm.... you're SUPPOSED to look both ways before proceeding, even if it's one way...

My friends bust me terribly for doing the same thing at a one-way street but I was nearly killed by a drunk driver speeding down a one-way going the wrong way. Fortunately it was on the passenger side of the car and not the driver's side or I wouldn't be writing this.

AJ Gallo, this is a blog were posters can submit their opinions. We are not under oath in court, so we are free to speculate. Some of us are making educated guesses based on prior events of this type. Since you are so disturbed by this discussion, perhaps you should not read it. It is highly likely that the driver was somehow impaired, either under the influence of drugs, alcohol or both. It may have been an elderly person who is just as dangerous as a drunk driver. Maybe it was a thrill seeking idiot.

How about this thought? Four innocent people are dead, but you are most concerned with comments about drunk drivers and such. Are you are drunk driver at times?

Talk about judgemental and dumb comments. I don't have a problem with opinions. It's blind judgements I dislike. Where's the compassionin this world? And I don't need you to preach to me regarding my empathy towards the victims in this tragedy. I lament posters precisely like you who obviously know nothing yet feel free to pass judgement on others. And since you know zero about me or who I am or what I stand for, yet still feel qualified and comfortable with passing judgment on me, all I can say is, "Your honor, the defense rests."

NB, You might want to reread AJ's original post. Nowhere does it say anything about openly expressing opinions or comments, only people who insist on showing their narrow mindedness and an unfathomable desire to make themselves appear ignorant in front of the entire world.

Ooh, ooh I have a scenario… the driver of the SUV was driving home from work when he swerved to miss an illegal alien walking across the highway. The SUV crossed the median and the driver of the car was the one that was drunk so he/she was unable to avoid the SUV.

no median, its an elevated bridge.

Is it that time already????

King cake intoxication.

You would be surprised the amount of people who do this that are NOT drunk! I agree that it happens quite often, but it is wrong to presume that it is always the case. Sometimes people simply become disorientated and confused, especially elderly people who are found driving on the wrong side a LOT. There are also those out there who are not supposed to be driving at night or in poor light because it messes with their vision and perception, who DO drive in these conditions, and this wrong way driving ends up being the result. And every now and then, people without a good sense of direction just plain make a mistake, get turned around, and find themselves driving where they are not supposed to be driving - often the accident happens because they simply did not have enough time to correct the mistake or had not yet noticed (optical illusions on the road ARE a reality).

Actually, my mother was picked up by the police for driving the wrong way down a road. Fortunately she didn't injure anyone or cause a wreck. Apparently she suffered a minor stroke or possibly a TIA on that little road trip. It was sometime after she was pulled over before she was able to give them a contact to let us know what happened to her.

She was fine the day before. No so fine the day after. Or sadly for us, ever again. She was soon diagnosed with Alzheimer's.

Blame it on Mardi Gras and the abundant availability of acoholic beverages, also a lack of judgement on the part of the entire city of New Orleans to encourage such behavior which includes everyone from teens to the elderly; and the total lack of responsibility on the part of the no doubt drunk driver who was probably returning home after a hard day/night of partying at Mardi Gras at 3 am..... It just sad that other people have to pay for the decisions of this irresponsible driver.

We have lots of wrong way drivers here in CA. And believe it or not, they don't have to be drunk or drugged up (many are), however, the elderly are more indicative of wrong way drivers. They have a tendency to become confused with the highway system. They don't want to give up their independence and when it comes to giving up driver's licenses, they're pretty stubborn. And they absolutely will not admit they are no longer qualified/competent to drive.

DaisyE, Honey, Mardi Gras weekend is not until next weekend. That being said, your last post is invalid; other than the last sentence.

the krewe's have started some parades.

Anyway, Daisy, I bet yer just a lot of fun at parties.

Gneisenau

My condolences... I know the pain that disease brings on families. FORTUNATELY, I haven't suffered that personally, but I know and deal with it through friends, which is bad enough It is a terrible disease.

Good luck and I wish the best for you and your family.

Thank you XDm9mm. I appreciate your sentiment.

Some people work the second shift or later, and go home at all hours. I met a car on I-75 in the left lane going seventy or better at 5:00 am, I hit the emergency lane very quickly, and avoided the car. I did not assume he was drunk or impaired.....well maybe I did assume it was an elderly person, they were driving a big Buick, therefor all wrong way drivers are Buick drivers.

I have lived in NJ for 55 yrs and never heard of a trooper causing an accident on the Turnpike that killed 7 people. In fact for many yrs the NJ Turnpikd has been one of the safest interstates to travel, rated by passenger miles travelled. Only recently has that changed because troopers are reluctant to pull over minorities from out of state and be exposed ot possible profilling suits. I once cruised from the Delaware bridge to exit 8A at 65 miles per hour just to find out who was speeding or driving agressively. Between 11 A.M. and 1:30 P.M. I ws passed by 163 cars, 8 trucks and 2 motorcycles. All 8 trucks were form other states, 131 of the cars were out of state with the fastest drivers form VA and Mass. The 2 motorcyles were travelling together, both form Mich. and had on headsets so they could communicate and were going just a shade faster than I was.

Just as a side note, I was eastbound on Rte 78 one Sunday afternoon when I saw a woman obviously in her 70's to 90's come up the ramp from southbound 287 and turn left to go west in the eastbound lanes. Thiswas accomplished by almost making a u-turn into the oncoming traffic. Fotunately, there was a trooper right there with a speed trap and he pulled out in front of her with his lights and sirens and forced her to stop and pull over. I can only imagine how many people might have died if he hadn't been there trying as you say to "harass and collect"

Bundgaard - I have lived in NJ for all of my 60 years. Never have I heard from any of the turnpike workers I know of ANY NJ trooper causing such an accident! However, I have personally seen two accidents on the NJ Turnpike caused by someone on the phone and speeding. I'll happily take the Troopers on the road to 'harrass and collet' over someone who complains about them.

, He died and 7 people, the truckers said on CB--we did not have much else to do for a long time I do not remember if he was state, or regular town, I see several of those town types around ex 6-10all the time. This was South of exit 4 with concrete center, and his car was just clipped in half around the concrete, as we saw later..

I remember it very well, because I missed an appointment with the head of FDA in Washington!--I have also lived just north of NJ for 50 years-- and drive about 70-90 K a year all over US and CDN--after flying to the cities.---Going to Newark since they opened 30 years ago!

Trooper as a proffesion by trade are the most dangerous people in USA! this is simple stats, although researchers have to look under the covers to see what is really covered up.--and USA they kill almost 10,000 a year (US) just on the roads by chasing and blocking, as well as shooting----death penalty before trial

Canopy Jones: People are not taking into account others issues as well i.e. stroke, diabetic (lack of insulin) there are any number of legitimate medical conditions that could cause this kind of episode. Not to mention the number of prescription drugs that have been prescibed to the driver who then does not follow label directions and this is the result. So it is not always a case of someone breaking the law. Sometimes it is as simple as someone too stupid to follow directions.

To give you an example, just yesterday we had a local incident where a driver died and passengers were injured. This was due as it turns out to a medical condition the driver wasn't even aware he had!

With all the murders in the New Orleans area, this is just a blip on the map.

nos, that many are killed every weekend night in New Orleans, and other cities, and no car is involved. Mostly black on black crime, even if it sounds politically incorrect.

this coming from one of the most disrespectful group of drivers on the highway, a big rig driver.

I don't think that they are worried about accuracy in their articles because they know that most of the people who read and comment on them have second grade comprehension skills.

I would have been waiting at the prison exit door the moment he got out, and blown what little brains the idiot had out the back of his head. I would do the time smilingly, just for knowing one less piece of subhuman garbage was ever going out driving drunk again. I'm sure the POS did not stop drinking after this, and is probably driving drunk all the time even now. Incorrigibles like him never, ever stay on the wagon for long. There are countless examples of it.