Seems like over the past few years I've read loads of stories where someone inadvertently goes the wrong way up an expressway exit, and ends up on the freeway killing themselves and someone else in a head-on crash.
What if there was an electronic system set-up on a ramp, that triggers an alarm in a car if it is going the wrong way? Here's what I'm thinking: a set of 5 unique sensors set up sequentially on the ramp. Normal traffic passes the sensors in the order of sensor 1, sensor 2, sensor 3, sensor 4, sensor 5. If you go the wrong way, you're order goes 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, and a piercing alarm in your car is triggered. This way an elderly, drowsy, or even drunk driver will still likely get the picture that something is not quite right, and hopefully stop before crashing.
I don't have exact specs of the plan, but it seems like some sort of basic radio frequency or maybe even bluetooth transmitted to a receiver in the car could do the trick.
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It's simple enough to embed sensors on the road that would be activated by a negative progression of a vehicle which would activate flashing warning signs.
you could even couple your invention with a one-way tire-shredder--that would even stop the drunk drivers-which seem to be the most common of this terrible occurrance.
The tire shredder is a great idea, but it got me thinking even more...what about a way that is even simpler than the shredder or the alarm. Truthfully, both of those may be too expensive/complicated to install in thousands of places where their needed. BUT, how about if there's a way to "groove" the pavement, so as to cause a major disturbance to only one direction of traffic? This is much like the tire shredder, but could be done simply as the last step of paving or re-paving a ramp, plus it wouldn't destroy tires, just provide a large jolt. I'm thinking along the lines of the "wake-up" strips that are on the sides of some major highways. If there was a way to only have one direction of traffic feel the effects of this, it'd be perfect for an on-ramp. Maybe an angled groove?
Drunks often do this, and they probably would not hear an alarm anyway.
Tire shredders would be bad for people, such as police, etc, who have a legitimate reason to back up on an off-ramp. It might work if there were a sufficiently wide shoulder, without shredders.