Bill would add wrong‑way driving while impaired to aggravated‑DWI list after recent fatal crashes

A bill to make driving the wrong way on a divided highway while impaired an aggravated DWI drew support from state police and DOT engineers as lawmakers cited a string of recent fatal crashes. Representative David Muse introduced the measure in the sponsor’s absence and asked the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee to consider adding wrong‑way operation to the list of aggravated DWI offenses.

Lieutenant Chris Storm said New Hampshire is seeing a significant rise in wrong‑way events — "averaging nearly one occurrence per day" — and that many wrong‑way drivers are impaired by alcohol or drugs. He referenced several recent fatalities, including a hospital-worker fatality and other high-profile cases, and called for stiffer consequences to deter behavior that frequently results in multi‑vehicle, high‑severity collisions.

Bill Lambert of the Department of Transportation told the committee his agency is part of a multi‑agency work group developing an action plan that pairs engineering countermeasures with enforcement. He described technology pilots used in nearby states: sequential detection on ramps that confirms a wrong‑way entry and escalates alerts to law enforcement and public message boards only when a driver is confirmed on the wrong roadway. Lambert said the DOT is screening the network for high‑risk locations and will deploy countermeasures based on risk assessments.

Representatives asked about the prevalence of impairment in wrong‑way incidents; witnesses said a majority involve alcohol or drugs but did not provide an exact percent. The committee took testimony but recorded no vote.