DRIVERS are facing a steep fee increase as officials tackle a major safety concern on the roads.
More people are set to be caught out with detection systems already rolled out.
Penalties for wrong-way driving on highways and ramps in Rhode Island have increased from $85 to a staggering $500.
Motorists also risk license suspensions of up to six months as officials ramp up punishments to deter bad behavior.
It comes as part of an initiative to minimise the threat of deadly head-on collisions and improve general road safety.
AAA Northeast has highlighted contributing factors to wrong-way crashes, such as alcohol use, driving alone and increasing age, with the state of Rhode Island noted for having high rates of impaired driving.
The legislation, sponsored by Rep. Raymond Hull and Sen. Matthew LaMountain, aims to deter unsafe behavior.
"We have all seen the tragic news stories about horrible accidents occurring because people were driving the wrong way on the highway," Hull said.
"Hopefully, these increased penalties will deter such unsafe behavior."
According to WPRI, police also support the law, emphasizing that wrong-way driving is preventable and poses a serious threat to road safety.
They hope the stricter penalties will send a strong message against such reckless actions.
"Wrong-way driving is one of the most alarming and preventable threats on our roads," Rhode Island State Police Lt. Col. Robert Creamer said in a statement.
"These incidents often end in tragedy, turning routine trips into catastrophic events for unsuspecting drivers and families.
"By strengthening the consequences for such reckless behavior, a clear message is being sent: this kind of endangerment will not be tolerated."
AAA Northeast's Jillian Young said: "Rhode Island has one of the highest rates of crashes due to impaired driving in the country.
"So, that's certainly something that we're thinking about when it comes to wrong-way crashes."
Efforts to address the issue have included the installation of wrong-way detection systems on ramps statewide since 2015,
These have detected hundreds of incidents – with 64 recorded just last year.
Anyone who encounters a wrong-way driver is urged to get out of the way and call 911 as soon as it is safe to do so.
Last month, police in Utah were left baffled after two separate wrong-way drivers entered the freeway within minutes of each other.
Both drivers were arrested for driving while impaired.
New driving laws in 2025
Drivers across the United States are having to adjust to a slew of new road rules that take effect in 2025. Some of those include:
- Daylighting law prohibiting drivers from parking their cars within 20 feet of any crosswalk in California
- Stricter street racing penalties in California
- Changes to car seat age and weight requirements in Colorado
- Fines for failing to follow designated enter and exit areas for express lanes in Colorado
- Bans on handheld devices while driving in Colorado and Missouri
- Drivers allowed to have a digital copy of their license on their cell phones in Illinois
- Yield right of way to emergency vehicles in Illinois
- Drivers required to take a vision test to renew licenses in Kentucky
- School bus safety law in Oregon
- Vehicle safety inspections scrapped in Texas
A witness captured the moment the first vehicle, travelling northbound in the southbound HOV lane, collided head-on with another driver.
Lt. Cameron Roden of the Utah Highway Patrol told KSL news: "It’s very scary to show you.
"Drivers travelling with that vehicle coming right at them had little reaction time."
Roden said that roughly 20 minutes later, responding troopers encountered yet another wrong-way driver on the same stretch of the freeway.
He said: "Luckily, they were able to get that second vehicle stopped without any issues before it crashed."
