Are cable barriers really that safe?

"Rainbow" (rainbeaux) 01/23/2015 at 08:59 • Filed to: None

2

26

Just a thought I had after watching a video where a car hit them. The poles break away, but the cables keep the car from crossing the median. Great in theory, but what if you're driving a first- or second-gen Miata or any other low convertible without reinforced A-pillars? No matter at what angle you hit the barrier, wouldn't the cables slice into the passenger area and potentially decapitate the driver? I understand that they're high up because they need to be able to catch 18-wheelers as well, but the lowest cable still seems to be awfully far from the ground, especially when you consider that a car would be bogged down in the dirt and reaching the barrier about 3-5 inches lower than usual.

Nibby > Rainbow 01/23/2015 at 09:05

7

If the cables aren't decapitating drivers, then they're not working properly.

Agrajag > Rainbow 01/23/2015 at 09:05

1

505Turbeaux > Rainbow 01/23/2015 at 09:06

1

All I know is I went over onto one on my road bicycle once, but it was the cable barrier secured by the sawed down telephone poles. My knee went into the post, I still have a hell of a scar on the side of my knee from the cable, and my knee is junk these days still

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Rainbow 01/23/2015 at 09:09

0

The car is probably more likely to be bouncing or slipping that way level with the roadbed than digging in, unless the barrier's a long way into the median. FWIW, I've had a car (Benz W123) pulled off onto the left shoulder, and the lowest wire was level with the left front indicator - it'd have been lower on the car if it was approached fast. With the lowest wire getting snapped from its moorings and the posts getting taken out, the tendency of the cables is to "basket" around what's getting pushed through - it's not like the cable will (unsupportedly) stay as an unalterable line of force across the path, it'll sag and get caught by forward parts of the car in most cases.

Also think about this: the stopping capacity/absorption of a single wire of a three or four-strand setup capable of stopping an 18 wheeler is waaaaaay in excess of what's required for an MX5. It will hinder movement *considerably*.

450X_FTW > Rainbow 01/23/2015 at 09:10

0

One of my coworkers from Chrysler was killed in an M plated Viper in 2013. The car went between the cables and the cable decapitated him, slicing 3 of the 4 pillars in the process too.

http://jalopnik.com/this-is-the-fi…

BKosher84 > Rainbow 01/23/2015 at 09:11

1

Someone I know said one time.. Their friend got into a car accident on the highway (it was a bigger pileup from winter weather) and they got out of their car to get out of the way (bad choice in their decision IMO). When they got out, the wires were already slacked from the accident.. But someone else hit them.. Which whipped the cable, hitting the friends daughter in the head.. Killing her instantly.. This was in C-Bus.. Those cables are VERY popular in the Northeast Ohio, Central Ohio area for some reason and I'm not a fan.

thebigbossyboss > 450X_FTW 01/23/2015 at 09:11

1

I am so sorry to hear that.

450X_FTW > thebigbossyboss 01/23/2015 at 09:14

1

I didn't know him but a few guys I worked with did from years back. Since they all SRT vehicles are strictly controlled for who takes them out of the complex

Rainbow > BKosher84 01/23/2015 at 09:15

0

Yeah, it seems like they were rushed out to the public before being tested enough.

Bad Idea Hat > BKosher84 01/23/2015 at 09:16

0

This sounds like the exact same thing that happened to a girl who went to a school I worked at. SW Ohio.

thebigbossyboss > 450X_FTW 01/23/2015 at 09:17

0

Yeah no doubt. Having driven only old 4 cyl econoboxes my whole life the thought of driving a Hellcat or Viper scares the crap out of me.

ttyymmnn > Rainbow 01/23/2015 at 09:20

1

http://www.texashighwayman.com/cablebarriers.…

This guy does not work for the highway department, even though his site looks pretty official (it fooled me). It would seem that there's also no statistical data as of yet to say that these barriers are more dangerous for motorcycles.

http://www.mrf.org/pdf/TRB-11-395…

I've seen more and more of these barriers erected in Texas, and my takeaway is that even if these barriers cause a more severe injury in some cases, it is outweighed by the benefit of reducing the number of head-on crashes.

Coty > 505Turbeaux 01/23/2015 at 09:20

0

We have those. I almost slid into the post on the end with the truck once.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Rainbow 01/23/2015 at 09:21

1

An NA will be fine. An 80s wedge like a Fiero, AW11, or X19? that might be problematic.

Carl > Rainbow 01/23/2015 at 09:24

2

This is probably one of those things were the potential for one death is better then the potential for multiple deaths from head-on freeway crashes.

Jcarr > Rainbow 01/23/2015 at 09:26

1

A few years ago a guy in my hometown lost control of his '03 Viper convertible after it had rained a bit. He ended up going straight into one of these. The cable slid up over the hood and windshield and then right into the cabin and killed him.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > Rainbow 01/23/2015 at 09:41

0

I'd ask the guy driving the new Viper that went into them in Michigan last year at speed on the highway.

But he doesn't have a head anymore, so I wouldn't get a response.

Sorry that was graphic and harsh, but I do not like those things. They are cheaper and keep you out of oncoming traffic, that's all well and good but they are NOT safe for the person crashing into them.

BigBlock440 > Rainbow 01/23/2015 at 09:44

0

They're not made to keep the occupants of the vehicle that hits them safe, they're there to keep the other lanes from being hit head-on. It's best to just not hit them in the first place.

davedave1111 > Rainbow 01/23/2015 at 09:55

0

Seems to me that you're right in observing the risk with low-slung cars and especially convertibles. What you're not taking sufficiently into account, though, is that the alternative to hitting the barriers hard is spearing across the median into oncoming traffic, and that's far more risky (in general).

It's the trolley problem again: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trolley_p…

Is it better to take an action which will cause some people to die who otherwise wouldn't, or to do nothing and allow many more people to die through your inaction.

buyorlease > Rainbow 01/23/2015 at 10:01

0

I've been told by a state DOT exec that they could cable the entire state highway system for less than the cost of concrete barriers for a single roadway in the largest city. The cable system was significantly less expensive to install and maintain and resulted in a lower fatality rate than concrete.

Once you leave the road at a high rate of speed, all bets are off. The cables are there to keep you from killing someone else by crossing the median and having a high-speed head on collision.

The number of cars which cross the median is low, but the number of fatalities resulting from them is very high.

The alternative is to hit a concrete wall barrier and then get ricochet'd into the other traffic lanes which comes with it's own risks and dangers. There is no perfect outcome when you lose control.

Concrete barriers are significantly more costly than cable, so going concrete only greatly limits the area of protection afforded per mile and that affects everyone on the roadway.

Jcarr > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner 01/23/2015 at 10:09

0

Same thing happened in my hometown 5 years ago.

http://wcfcourier.com/news/local/ced…

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > Jcarr 01/23/2015 at 10:10

0

Exactly.

I'm not saying the idea to move away from really old guard rails to something that might actually catch a vehicle is a bad thing, I'm saying they stopped working too early.

BKosher84 > Bad Idea Hat 01/23/2015 at 11:04

0

Same person possibly?

Bad Idea Hat > BKosher84 01/23/2015 at 11:06

0

Possibly, but this happened a bit north of Cincinnati.

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > Rainbow 01/23/2015 at 11:36

0

Well as we know from racing, you can design things to behave certain ways and then some strange thing happens and its a horror story. Looks deadly for a bike.

JKER > Rainbow 01/23/2015 at 11:59

0

I wouldn't want to go off and hit one when on a motorcycle that's for sure... Instant decapitation/sliced in half probably. I'd be pretty mangled that's all I know.