“It’s not just a metro-Phoenix issue. This is something that could happen on any divided state highway."
- Doug Nintzel, spokesman of the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT), told AZ Central

Sure, It’s something that can happen on any state highway. I agree with you Mr. Nintzel. But Arizona has had a lot recently.

By June 2017, nearly 740 wrong way drivers had been reported on Arizona freeways. Yes, that is 740 different incidents. By the end of the year, there will have been over 1700 wrong way driving incidents reported. No, not all of them ended in a collision.

7 collisions were reported by June 2017.

No, it doesn’t seem like a lot but it hits close to home when GCU students are reminded that one of those 7 collisions included 2 of our very own Lopes and 1 honorary Lope on Good Friday of last year. So, no, comparing how little these numbers may seem to the big picture means nothing when you know that lives have been lost. It means nothing when you know the lives that had been lost - that’s the big picture.

Besides, the number by August 2017, that number would increase by almost ten times that much - 69 wrong-way related collisions.

And what about 2018? There have been 4 wrong-way related collisions. The most recent occurred on March 24th resulting in 3 fatalities.

Yet, I am supposed to believe that even given this information, Arizona is still one of the safest states in regards to fatal head-on-collisions. I'm sorry, but since when did that become a valid argument?

People are getting seriously injured; they are dying!

But all Arizona residents are supposed to roll over and thank their lucky stars that they don't live in a more dangerous state?

No! The government of Arizona has a duty to their residents, to those visiting, to human beings within their border. Their duty is to protect. To keep them safe.

Have they made strides? Sure!

After Governor Doug Doucey pushed for something to be done several plans were put into action. The most promising was the $3.7 million thermal detection system on the I-17 which alerts the police and PDOT of a wrong way driver.

It's a start, I'll admit it. Before this system, the police relied on other drivers to call. This system went into effect early this year and aids emergency response time.

Is it enough?

Response time has improved, but all the thermal cameras do is alert them that another crash is about to happen. It gets them their a little quicker. Col. Frank Milstead, the Director of Arizona's Department of Public Safety, said that it helps, but it certainly isn't enough.

We need more. We need a better system in place. One that is preventative rather than responsive.

We've tried bigger signs and flashing red lights. We've even tried bigger and brighter signs, but wrong way drivers are usually impaired. Signs aren't going to help and lights just become even more of a distraction.

How about spikes on the on/off ramps?

Researchers in Texas say it could cause more damage to other drivers because tires won't deflate in time, but has it been tested on the long-ramps of the I-17? Has it been tested at all?

Perhaps, hitting spikes will alert the driver and cause them to stop before any further damage is done. Plus, most incidents occur between 2 am and 7 am when traffic is light. Likelihood of crashing decreases when the driver can't drive a far enough distance.

I'm not saying it's our only solution, but there has to be at least one preventative solution.

Spikes may be something to reconsider when thinking about the severity of the situation.

I'll repeat it just in case it's not clear:

People are dying, Arizona! There has got to be something more we can do than come up with a system that alerts the cops of another collision or death in half the time it did before.