usatoday.com— A relatively low-cost safety device ? steel cable strung in highway medians ? is proving phenomenally effective at saving lives, perhaps more so than steel-beam or concrete barriers.
Jul 22, 2006View in Crawl 4
I am a little worried about the posts. If a car hit it head-on or if a car flips and lands on it, I guess it is worst than a flat piece of concrete or a continuous steel belt.
I dont think it would help, If its too narrow for a concrete median this stuff is designed to give way and slow the car over much more space.""But when you hit the guard cable, it gives 10 to 12 feet and helps absorb the force. The posts that hold the cable up are designed to break away. The cable stretches and wraps up the car in it."
Freestyle jumpers operate within a controlled environment, and their stunts may look dangerous but they're professionals who practice continually. They don't have to worry about other cars/trucks because it's just them, their bike and the ramps. Of course one should be worried about riding a motorcycle on a highway! A lot of your concentration while riding has to be on the traffic around you, riding smartly and defensively to avoid being hit by cars, among other things. I deplore your statement inferring that riding motorcycles is foolish. Perhaps you would be the fool on a motorcycle. It's unsafe to ride motorcycles, but it's also unsafe to drive cars. Difference is - if something happens then riders usually come off worse. But hey, at least I won't die in a cage ;)Back to the topic.. And I think you made an error in your first paragraph regarding replacement of safety devices? Concrete may not look as good, but I'd rather slide into one of them instead of being cheese-grated or meat-sliced on cable dividers. At least, on a straight stretch of road anyway - you'd most likely only be hitting it at an angle, not head-on.
These do not work in all cases, and can actually make an accident worse than it should have been.A bit over 6months ago I had a very lucky escape. I lost control of my Volvo 850 Wagon, hit the kerb, hit the end of one of these "safety wires" which threw my car in the air and caused it to flip as it was airborne. It landed on its roof on the wrong side of the road in the path of on coming traffic, where it slid on its roof for about 20cm.The front section of the roof had been compacted by at least 5cms. The air bags didn't deploy. A 15" CRT behind the passenger seat came loose and hit me in the head as the car rolled. I was left hanging in the car until I freed myself.Lets look at what protected me in this situation, the seat belt and Swedish engineering - not the "safety wire". In this case the safety wire caused my car to be a write off. It was sheer luck, nothing else that stopped the on coming traffic from hitting me. I was also very lucky I didn't sustain any permanent injuries.Yes there are some situations where these wires are useful - this was not one of them.
I read this article on Digg and then later that day I was driving on the highway and I realized that these new cable medians had been put up! Rather than wondering what the heck they were, I was able to know that they are much better than regular barriers and cheaper too. Thanks Digg for making me a better informed citizen!dugg
We've had these in SA for a long time. Ive actually seen these in action (well, on TV);They actually drove a car into these cable barriers that had a drop on the other side of the barrier. When it came to a stop, about half the car was perched over the edge and it was still supported! I totally trust these things! Engineering rox!
Hey - do any of you know of any success stories with this thing? or do you have any other stories where a median barrier/guardrail saved your life? putting together a tv show...email me if so! danielle@mikemathisprods.com
It is misleading to generalise that all motorcycles have an insane power to weight ratio. Small-engined machines are motorcycles too! It is misleading to claim that all motorcyclists lack external protection. What do you think my helmet, body armour, boots and gloves are?It is simplistic to claim that the steel cages on other vehicles are protection: they may be to their users but they are a potential offensive weapon towards all pedestrians, pedal cyclists and motorcyclists. The bigger and heavier your vehicle, the more it can kill or injure other road users.CABLE BARRIERS ARE MORE DANGEROUS TO CAR USERS because their posts and cables can cut a vehicle like cheese. Concrete barriers are best at minimising deaths and injuries, so they soon pay for the fact that they cost more than cables.Finally, concrete barriers are less likely to need repair after an accident.
And the sooner we get rid of it all, the better! Cable barriers are banned in the Netherlands, banned in Norway and been removed in Denmark.W-section rolled steel barriers such as Armco are likewise dangerous because the support posts can kill or injure motorcyclists. The UK Highways Agency admits this and has started to install a "BikeGuard" square section intermediate rail between the W-section rail and the ground. But progress so far has been pathetic: the Agency recently installed several miles of new W-section barriers on the A34 between Oxford and Bicester with not a BikeGuard anywhere.Motorcyclists are only 4% of UK road users. Our government alternates between ignoring us and trying to legislate us out of existence. And if we don't survive an accident with a roadside barrier, we can't vote!
fuskuartJul 23, 2006
I am a little worried about the posts. If a car hit it head-on or if a car flips and lands on it, I guess it is worst than a flat piece of concrete or a continuous steel belt.
Closed AccountJul 23, 2006
I dont think it would help, If its too narrow for a concrete median this stuff is designed to give way and slow the car over much more space.""But when you hit the guard cable, it gives 10 to 12 feet and helps absorb the force. The posts that hold the cable up are designed to break away. The cable stretches and wraps up the car in it."
forbesbingleyJul 23, 2006
We've had this stuff over here in England for many years...
administrationJul 23, 2006
Freestyle jumpers operate within a controlled environment, and their stunts may look dangerous but they're professionals who practice continually. They don't have to worry about other cars/trucks because it's just them, their bike and the ramps. Of course one should be worried about riding a motorcycle on a highway! A lot of your concentration while riding has to be on the traffic around you, riding smartly and defensively to avoid being hit by cars, among other things. I deplore your statement inferring that riding motorcycles is foolish. Perhaps you would be the fool on a motorcycle. It's unsafe to ride motorcycles, but it's also unsafe to drive cars. Difference is - if something happens then riders usually come off worse. But hey, at least I won't die in a cage ;)Back to the topic.. And I think you made an error in your first paragraph regarding replacement of safety devices? Concrete may not look as good, but I'd rather slide into one of them instead of being cheese-grated or meat-sliced on cable dividers. At least, on a straight stretch of road anyway - you'd most likely only be hitting it at an angle, not head-on.
skwashdJul 23, 2006
These do not work in all cases, and can actually make an accident worse than it should have been.A bit over 6months ago I had a very lucky escape. I lost control of my Volvo 850 Wagon, hit the kerb, hit the end of one of these "safety wires" which threw my car in the air and caused it to flip as it was airborne. It landed on its roof on the wrong side of the road in the path of on coming traffic, where it slid on its roof for about 20cm.The front section of the roof had been compacted by at least 5cms. The air bags didn't deploy. A 15" CRT behind the passenger seat came loose and hit me in the head as the car rolled. I was left hanging in the car until I freed myself.Lets look at what protected me in this situation, the seat belt and Swedish engineering - not the "safety wire". In this case the safety wire caused my car to be a write off. It was sheer luck, nothing else that stopped the on coming traffic from hitting me. I was also very lucky I didn't sustain any permanent injuries.Yes there are some situations where these wires are useful - this was not one of them.
underskyJul 23, 2006
we've had these in my country before cars were invented. so i guess my country is better than your country.
ktchpmnJul 24, 2006
I read this article on Digg and then later that day I was driving on the highway and I realized that these new cable medians had been put up! Rather than wondering what the heck they were, I was able to know that they are much better than regular barriers and cheaper too. Thanks Digg for making me a better informed citizen!dugg
ryan0Jul 25, 2006
We've had these in SA for a long time. Ive actually seen these in action (well, on TV);They actually drove a car into these cable barriers that had a drop on the other side of the barrier. When it came to a stop, about half the car was perched over the edge and it was still supported! I totally trust these things! Engineering rox!
outofcontrolAug 10, 2006
Hey - do any of you know of any success stories with this thing? or do you have any other stories where a median barrier/guardrail saved your life? putting together a tv show...email me if so! danielle@mikemathisprods.com
blutblaseJun 25, 2008
It is misleading to generalise that all motorcycles have an insane power to weight ratio. Small-engined machines are motorcycles too! It is misleading to claim that all motorcyclists lack external protection. What do you think my helmet, body armour, boots and gloves are?It is simplistic to claim that the steel cages on other vehicles are protection: they may be to their users but they are a potential offensive weapon towards all pedestrians, pedal cyclists and motorcyclists. The bigger and heavier your vehicle, the more it can kill or injure other road users.CABLE BARRIERS ARE MORE DANGEROUS TO CAR USERS because their posts and cables can cut a vehicle like cheese. Concrete barriers are best at minimising deaths and injuries, so they soon pay for the fact that they cost more than cables.Finally, concrete barriers are less likely to need repair after an accident.
blutblaseJun 25, 2008
And the sooner we get rid of it all, the better! Cable barriers are banned in the Netherlands, banned in Norway and been removed in Denmark.W-section rolled steel barriers such as Armco are likewise dangerous because the support posts can kill or injure motorcyclists. The UK Highways Agency admits this and has started to install a "BikeGuard" square section intermediate rail between the W-section rail and the ground. But progress so far has been pathetic: the Agency recently installed several miles of new W-section barriers on the A34 between Oxford and Bicester with not a BikeGuard anywhere.Motorcyclists are only 4% of UK road users. Our government alternates between ignoring us and trying to legislate us out of existence. And if we don't survive an accident with a roadside barrier, we can't vote!