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I didn't mention it before but I have attended several serious collisions where vehicles (cars and trucks) have crossed over the wire barriers into oncoming traffic. Not a conclusive sample size but my preliminary finding is that they do not work. also having once been hit, they remain an unsightly sagging (and useless) mess until repaired, sometimes months later.
Hi,
Long gone are the days when it was a country road, though there are parts that still can be seen from the highway.
Long gone are the days of slow lumbering lorries that even a Morrie could zip past.
Now where did I put my Zimmer frame?
Cheers
And the congregation of trucks waiting for mid-night, at the border, every Sunday. [biggrin]Quote:
Originally Posted by austastar
While I not condoning how close those barriers are to the side of the road - that's just silly and bloody dangerous, as a bit on insight the company I work for does amongst a lot of other things - roadside crash barriers. I've done some training on all types and although the wire rope barriers aren't a product we do, I have seen the data on them and quite a few crash tests as well as real life video of then 'in action'
The wire barriers are designed to do 2 things, not just stop a vehicle crossing into another lane or hitting a tree, but also stop the vehicle from rebounding back onto the road they have just left and be collected by another vehicle.
These barriers do this very well compared to pretty much anything else on the market, and although there are certainly instances of them being compromised that happens with all barrier systems - they are generally only tested to 110KPH with impact angles of up to 30 degrees - this caters for over 99% of all impacts to any barrier, but there will always be a situation where something untoward happens - like an over corrected swerve that then hits them head on, a multi vehicle collision that launches a vehicle higher than the barriers designed impact levels, etc. I have seen footage of a loaded B double running into one at 100KPH when the driver nodded off - the barrier kept the truck on the right side of it - and off the road for several hundred metres while the truck stopped.
They do work and are proven in reducing fatal accidents on freeways both here and overseas.
Are they perfect? - No. Are they placed in the correct location to allow a broken down vehicle to safely pull over? - No, but that's not the barriers fault, that's just the dip**** Engineers unfortunately. Putting them back another meter wouldn't compromise their ability to perform their job.
As a motorcyclist I wouldn't want to crash into one no, but the instances of this happening particularly on dual carriageways would be quite small I would imagine.
ding ding dingQuote:
Originally Posted by Homestar
i saw a great vod last week of the barrier in action. sets see if i can find it again
was easy to find
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovJMPUpPJnw
Ha ha - there you go - exhibit 'A'. Thanks. Had that been a steel or concrete barrier, what was left of the van would have ended up in front of the truck filming it which would have been far worse for all concerned.
Was he asleep at the wheel or texting I wonder...
EDIT - you can also see how close the wire barrier is there on the left too - **** all room for a broken down car to safely stay out of the firing line. Another meter or so further back would be much more sensible which I guess is the whole point of this thread...