Wrong-way crash on Route 3 in Massachusetts caught on dashcam video

Frightening dashcam video shows the moment a car slammed into another vehicle head-on in a wrong-way crash on Route 3 in Chelmsford, Massachusetts Wednesday. 

It happened at about 4:20 p.m. during the afternoon rush. Massachusetts State Police said a driver crossed the median and hit several cars while traveling south on Route 3 North.

One person was taken to the hospital with injuries that are not life-threatening, police said. 

It's just the latest in a number of wrong-way crashes, including one that killed a state trooper earlier this month. 

Two weeks ago, Trooper Kevin Trainor was killed while responding to reports of a wrong-way driver in Lynnfield and there have been other close calls since then. Just a few days ago, a New Hampshire State Police trooper used his cruiser to stop a wrong-way driver on Route 101 in Exeter. That trooper is expected to be OK.

Now Massachusetts lawmakers are considering new legislation to address the problem. The Massachusetts state Senate took up an amendment Thursday that could pave the way for the installation of new highway safety technology, capital improvements and changes to highway design in hopes of preventing wrong-way crashes.

The amendment passed by a 40-0 roll call vote.

MassDOT is already working with Tapco to install 16 wrong-way driver detection systems across the state. That includes flashing LED warning signs, thermal sensors and the ability to alert law enforcement. 

"They'll flash or some warning devices are triggered so that the driver specifically knows that they are going the wrong way and they should self-correct and turn around," Tapco spokesperson Alex Perry said. "If they proceed further up the roadway and they end up becoming more of an imminent threat, then our system has the ability to articulate alerts back to traffic management centers."

Tapco says they can tailor the technology to specific roadways.