Route 1 Wrong-Way Crashes: A Growing Danger in Massachusetts

I just returned from a 1900-mile round trip road trip to Tennessee and luckily didn’t see anyone driving the wrong way on the highway - but apparently it’s a growing problem.

Here in Massachusetts, two recent wrong-way crashes on Route 1 highlight the danger. One was fatal. In the early hours of May 6, 2026, on Route 1 in Lynnfield/Saugus, 30-year-old Massachusetts State Police Trooper Kevin Trainor was killed when a wrong-way driver struck his cruiser head-on. nbcboston.com

The wrong-way driver, 50-year-old Hernan Marrero of Roslindale, also died at the scene. Surveillance footage showed Marrero traveling southbound in the northbound lanes for over a mile.

How does this happen? The State Trooper who was killed had finished up his shift and responded to the call anyway, to add insult to injury.

Weeks later, on the morning of May 31, 2026, another wrong-way crash occurred on Route 1 in Peabody. 41-year-old Lucas Gustavo Brajak DeAlmeida Benedetto of Newburyport, driving a pickup truck south in the northbound lanes, collided with a responding state trooper’s marked cruiser. Both suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

Benedetto was released from the hospital and faces charges including OUI (liquor), negligent operation, and driving the wrong way on a state highway.

This stretch of Route 1 is well known for confusing intersections, poor lighting, nearby bars, and late-night wrong-way incidents. State and AAA data indicate hundreds of wrong-way crashes on Massachusetts divided highways in recent years, with dozens of fatalities. -wcvb.com

What is Massachusetts planning on doing?

Massachusetts’ response: MassDOT continues expanding pilot wrong-way detection systems (radar, flashing lights, cameras, and alerts) installed since 2022.

At the direction of Governor Healey, MassDOT is taking action to reduce wrong-way driving by combining state-of-the-art technology, improved signage, roadway enhancements and data-driven safety improvements. Much of this work is already underway, and we will continue to evaluate problem areas across the state to further reduce the risk of wrong-way crashes. Our goal is simple: make it easier for drivers to stay on the correct path and prevent these dangerous incidents before they happen. -MASSDOT

Governor Maura Healey has pushed for accelerated implementation, modeled partly on successful programs in other states like Connecticut. -cbsnews.com