ONCE MY WIFE PHONED ME TO TELL ME TO WATCH OUT ON MY COMMUTE HOME BECAUSE SOME GUY WAS DRIVING THE WRONG WAY ON THE INTERSTATE. “SOME GUY?” I REPLIED. “EVERYBODY’S GOING THE WRONG WAY!” New Bosch Technology Saves Us From Wrong-Way Driving.

Bosch, the German auto supplier, has done so with a software package that compares a car’s direction with a Web-based database of roads and quickly alerts the driver of wrong-way movement. It even goes so far as to stop the car, giving oncoming vehicles a bit more of a chance to get out of the way.

At the same time, the system alerts those oncoming cars using a cloud-based, anonymized system. It can activate roadside signage; even if such signage isn’t around, it can send an alert to drivers via their smart phones or car infotainment systems.

That’s critical because in many cases the driver who’s going the wrong way may be unresponsive to any warning. Studies have shown that such drivers are often impaired by disease, old age, or alcohol. Worst of all are the ones who go the wrong way on purpose.

According to Christain Jeschke, an engineer at Bosch, some 50 percent of all wrong-way drivers are suicidal.

That’s tacky. If you’re going to kill yourself, you should do it in a way that doesn’t endanger others.