Here’s Why I Appreciate the Terrifying New Maine DOT Signs on I-95

On Friday night, I was on my way home from a late gig in Pittsfield.

Of course, the easiest way to get from Pittsfield to Augusta is via the I-95.  It was raining pretty heavily, so I took it a lot slower than I normally would.  In other words, I was actually driving the speed limit.

I was just chugging along, eating a post-gig snack of chili roasted pistachios when I spotted blue lights behind me.  I never even had a chance to slow down and pull over.  The Maine State Trooper was gone down the road.

I assumed it was a crash and said a silent prayer for those involved.

That's about when I spotted a Maine DOT digital sign that made my blood turn cold.  The sign read something like: WRONG WAY DRIVER IN THE AREA.

Now, I knew where that Maine State Trooper was headed.

I slowed down even more and kept my eyes open for headlights coming at me.

Fortunately, I made it home with no issues.

As of the time that this was written, I have not seen any follow-up news about the incident.  Hopefully, the person either realized they were going the wrong way or police were able to stop the person before there was a crash.  For all I know, the person could have been on the northbound side and not the southbound side (where I was driving).

Above, I said this was new.  Honestly, the Maine DOT and Maine State Police could have been doing this for years, but I have never noticed it before.

Regardless, I was incredibly thankful that there is a system in place that allows those digital road signs to be switched to such an important message.