GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — After four people were killed in wrong-way crashes in West Michigan this past weekend, 13 ON YOUR SIDE viewers have been emailing to ask if spike strips can be used as a deterrent.
The Michigan Department of Transportation says adding tire-puncturing spikes would create another set of hazards for drivers.
MDOT says it would also be hazardous for maintenance vehicles that go up and down ramps to perform bridge inspections, surface maintenance, and fixing guardrails.
John Richard, Communications Representative for MDOT, says first responders need to be able to access the roadways safely during incidents.
"So if spikes were added, they would have to be movable or recessed into the pavement somehow electronically," Richard tells 13 ON YOUR SIDE.
"Adding something like that to every ramp would be astronomically expensive," Richard says. "Of course, lives are precious and priceless, but there’s only so much we can do to accommodate bad decisions by drivers."
Dean Elliott is a pastor from Byron Center who has been identified as the man who was killed in a wrong-way crash over the weekend on US 131 just south of Burton Street.
Michigan State Police said a 30-year-old man from Grand Rapids was driving southbound in the northbound lanes of US-131 around 8:30 a.m. Sunday when he hit a northbound vehicle head-on, killing Elliott.
Paul Yon, whose daughter Willow was killed last year by a drunk driver going the wrong way on US-131, knows the pain that can come from these tragedies.
“This is an unbelievably terrible scenario," Yon said. "When we got that call in the middle of the night, it's something that plays over and over for us, every time we hear of something tragic."
Yon said he believes entities like MDOT must do more.
"MDOT needs to step up their game with these wrong-way lights, lowering their signs and doing all they can on the off ramps where people get on the wrong direction," Yon said. "And it's not a two-year program for them. It's a tomorrow program, Monday morning, they need to start now."
"Over the years and throughout the state, we have added wrong-way signage, adjusted the height of wrong way signs, added reflective delineators, and installed wrong-way detection systems," Richard said. "All of our interchanges are peppered with large red and white signs that say WRONG WAY DO NOT ENTER."
Yon also said stricter penalty laws are needed, but overall, Yon is still hoping for change.
"And then people need to be just making better decisions of what they're making," Yon said. "My goodness. It's just terrible. How many people are dying this way?"
Richards says it has already installed systems on U.S. 131 and Stadium Drive in Kalamazoo and I-94 at Dickman Road in Battle Creek. MDOT says more systems are on the way when funding becomes available.
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