Barriers to Safety?
This year I lost a coworker to an automobile accident on Route 202. That combined with this past weekend’s highway fatalities reminded me of a point that I, and others, have made before: concrete barriers need to be installed in the medians of high-speed highways. You know the ones, the four foot high (approximate) concrete barriers that you sometimes see on divided highways. These need to run the entire length of our high-volume/speed highways, with provisions for turnarounds for emergency vehicles.
If anyone knows of any studies to back-up, or refute my idea, please point me in their direction. I am solely basing my opinion on my personal observations, many of which were formed when I was a firefighter and EMT.
The grass medians always seemed to be the worst to me, as I feel they act like springboards into the opposing traffic lane. That is, when a vehicle leaves the pavement and hits the grass, it slingshots the car into opposing traffic; very much like hitting a patch of ice.
Even though drivers and passengers still run a great risk by hitting a concrete barrier, at least it may help to keep other vehicles from being involved.
Could rows of water-filled barrels, like the ones used to help slow down runaway trucks, be an answer?
If anyone knows of any studies to back-up, or refute my idea, please point me in their direction. I am solely basing my opinion on my personal observations, many of which were formed when I was a firefighter and EMT.
The grass medians always seemed to be the worst to me, as I feel they act like springboards into the opposing traffic lane. That is, when a vehicle leaves the pavement and hits the grass, it slingshots the car into opposing traffic; very much like hitting a patch of ice.
Even though drivers and passengers still run a great risk by hitting a concrete barrier, at least it may help to keep other vehicles from being involved.
Could rows of water-filled barrels, like the ones used to help slow down runaway trucks, be an answer?
posted by TGB at
7:24 AM
3 Comments:
Ice...what ice???? Phew!!
I totally agree with your opinion Ted. All high speed roadways should have barriers. Can you believe that down here in Florida, there are parts of the Turnpike that don't have barriers in the median??? Crazy! But then again, Florida has a bigger problem with no car inspections. Scary to see a 1970's pickup being held together with duct tape and bungee cords doing 95 mph.
Alex: What’s the point? I’ve always complained about Pennsylvania’s vehicle inspection program, but I guess I should keep my mouth shut! Good points. DONE!
Part of the answer Ted would be for drivers to obey the speed limits and refrain from being aggressive drivers. Personally I avoid the inner lane when there is a barrier. Some of us feel a boxed in, oppressive sensation. At times you are trapped there between a concrete wall and a sea of racing vehicles. You are pressed into driving faster than you want to by the vehicles that surround you. Couple that with those drivers that believe the word “merge” means to enter traffic at 65 MPH, assuming that you are King of the highway and all traffic will move out of your way.
Perhaps you unknowingly found the answer yourself. Let’s sentence drivers who have received multiple tickets for speeding or aggressive driving to a month of ride-alongs with their local fire/rescue and/or ambulance companies. Give them some gloves and let them help to clean up the end result of an accident or two.
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