Study being done to cut down on wrong-way crashes in Texas

HOUSTON – The Texas Department of Transportation is teaming up with Texas A&M researchers to cut down the number of wrong-way crashes. So far this year, there have already been 10 deadly wrong-way wrecks.

Wrong-way drivers have claimed the lives of dozens of people in the Houston area and TxDOT wants to know what it can do to stop the problem.

"Different things we can look at; signage is the big thing, maybe to adjust signs. Different things we can find out and also see what other states are doing with wrong-way drivers," said Danny Perez, with TxDOT.

According to TxDOT, over the past five years across the state, wrong-way drivers have caused more than 4,200 crashes. In the six-county Houston region, wrong-way drivers are accused of causing more than 1,000 accidents with 42 of them being deadly.

So far this year in Harris County alone, there have been more than 100 wrong-way crashes.

Just this week, we reported how a man was arrested for driving the wrong way and killing five people, including a toddler, on the Beltway in northeast Harris County.

On Wednesday afternoon, Harris County deputies released the name of one of the victims from that crash -- 41-year-old Valentin Garcia.

The wrong-way crash study is expected to be completed by the end of this year.