Things You Need to Know about Crash Barriers

· Crash barriers save lives by preventing errant vehicles from colliding with roadside hazards, rolling down steep embankments or colliding head-on into other vehicles. Crash barriers do not prevent crashes from occurring; their primary purpose is to reduce the severity of a crash. Instead of the occupants of an errant vehicle being killed or suffering serious injury, a well-designed crash barrier should ensure that little or no injury is caused to occupants.

· There are basically four types of crash barriers in use in Victoria: flexible wire rope barriers, semi-flexible steel beam barriers, rigid concrete barriers, and crash cushions. The latest type of barriers are flexible wire rope barriers (WRBs) which cause less damage to a vehicle and its occupants.

· Wire rope barriers have been in use overseas for over 30 years and in Victoria for almost 10 years. Experience has shown that wire rope barriers have been a highly cost-effective treatment in reducing road trauma particularly in preventing collisions with roadside hazards and cross-median crashes. A recent study by VicRoads has found that there has been an overall 92% reduction in casualty crashes at the sites where wire rope barriers have been installed in Victoria.

· Some motorcyclists have raised concerns about WRBs being unduly hazardous to motorcyclists. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) investigated the safety of WRBs in June 2000 and found that:

o “in many situations, wire rope barriers have distinct advantages over conventional barrier types: they have superior containment properties; they can cause less damage to vehicles and their occupants; they can be easier and safer to repair; and they can be cheaper to install”.

o “Wire rope barriers are not currently a significant motorcycle safety problem”, and

o “It cannot be concluded that wire rope barriers are inherently more dangerous to riders than other treatment options”.

· The Monash University Accident Research Centre (MUARC) also carried out a number of investigations into barrier systems and its findings support those of the ATSB and highlight that WRB is no more dangerous to motorcyclists than other barrier types.

· The real-life safety performance of WRBs has been proven by hundreds of drivers who have crashed their cars or trucks into WRB. In many cases, the errant vehicles have been driven away from the crash scene.

· Regarding the performance of WRB barrier in relation to real life motorcycle collisions, there have been very few crashes – for example only one crash has been recorded in Victoria. This is not surprising as motorcycles make up under 3% of registered vehicles and account for only 0.5% of travel.

· In May 2001 the Australian Transport Council directed the Standing Committee on Transport to arrange for Austroads to investigate the severity of motorcyclist injuries in relation to different barrier types. Austroads has commissioned MUARC to conduct a preliminary in-depth study of motorcycle crashes, as part of the long-term program to assess and improve the effectiveness of roadside barrier systems.

· One of the most cost effective road safety treatments that will save lives and injuries will be the continued and increased use of WRBs at high risk locations, as it provides long term protection for the community.