Three major interstates, crucial to Delaware’s freight network, are now being patrolled by a new state police Highway Safety Unit focused on interstate traffic. This unit is a joint effort by the Delaware State Police, the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT), and the Delaware Department of Safety and Homeland Security (DSHS).
“Unsafe driving has become too commonplace on our roads, especially our highways,” said Nicole Majeski, Delaware’s transportation secretary. ” The new Highway Safety Unit sends a strong message to everyone driving on our roads that safety should be everyone’s priority, and DelDOT is pleased to support this collaborative effort with DSHS and DSP.”
The Highway Safety Unit, made up of about 11 officers, will enforce traffic laws on high-traffic roadways. They will patrol Delaware Route 1 and these interstates:
- I-95 (from the Maryland border to the Pennsylvania border)
- I-495 (from south of Wilmington on I-95 northbound to the I-95 merge near the Pennsylvania line)
- I-295 (from I-95 to the Delaware Memorial Bridge)
” As we remain focused on reducing fatalities and crashes in our state, the new DSP Highway Safety Unit enables us to devote full-time resources to proactively address traffic safety priorities,” said Nathaniel McQueen Jr., state safety and homeland security secretary. ” This dedicated unit will be a visible presence on our highways and instrumental in preventing crashes, minimizing injuries and saving lives.”
DSP, DelDOT, and the DSHS Office of Highway Safety may add more highway sections for patrolling based on data on speed, aggressive driving reports, crashes, and drunk driving incidents. According to DelDOT, I-95, I-495, and I-295 are vital freight corridors, handling nearly 70% of the state’s freight transportation. “In 2020, approximately 68.7 million tons of freight worth $101.3 billion moved to, from or within Delaware,” stated DelDOT’s state freight plan.
State police superintendent Col. Melissa Zebley emphasized the collaborative effort to improve roadway safety, saying, “The HSU is a proactive initiative to combat traffic safety challenges in Delaware. We are committed to deploying our resources strategically to address areas of concern and promote safer driving behaviors.”
Traffic safety is a priority for Gov. John Carney. Current initiatives include increased enforcement to deter speeding and distracted driving, more safety investments statewide, additional intersection safety measures, and testing a wrong-way driver notification system.
DelDOT has also launched the “Be DelAWARE” safety campaign and conducted a 2023 Vulnerable Road User Safety Assessment. This study identified high-risk roadways and found that most crashes occur from July to October, mainly on Fridays, Thursdays, and Wednesdays between 3 and 8 p.m.
Source: Transport Topics
