TAPCO awarded US DOT research contract to further develop innovative wrong-way driving solutions on highway ramps

Traffic and Parking Control Company, Inc. (TAPCO), manufacturer, distributor and service provider of traffic and parking control products, announces it has been awarded a U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract for a proposed physical intervention enhancement to its industry-leading wrong-way safety solutions.

More than 1,600 lives were lost in 2018 due to wrong-way driving collisions, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). SBIR awards incentivize small businesses to research new transportation technologies and, as one of 20 small businesses nationwide to be awarded a Fiscal Year 2020 U.S. DOT contract, TAPCO aims to find new ways to reduce high-speed wrong-way incidents.

"The selected projects have the potential to improve safety and infrastructure on highways, rail, pipelines, and in our vehicles," said Diana Furchtgott-Roth, DOT Deputy Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology, in a DOT press release.

TAPCO will use its SBIR contract to validate a four-step safety solution designed to deter, detect, warn and stop wrong-way drivers on highway ramps, a common wrong-way driver entry point. The proposed solution combines passive sensors and dynamic warning devices with active physical gates and barriers placed strategically on highway ramps. Long-time TAPCO partner, B&B Roadway Security Solutions, will support the project and provide best-in-class gates and barriers.

"We are honored to receive an SBIR contract to further our research into wrong-way driving solutions and continue our mission to enhance transportation safety to ultimately save lives," says TAPCO Managing Director Eric Stangel. "We look forward to using our experience and expertise to develop the next generation of solutions that not only warns drivers, but also stops wrong-way drivers in their tracks."