Driving down the highway, look off to the side of the road, what do you see there? Hopefully you see some sort of protective road barrier to prevent your vehicle from going off the road or into oncoming traffic.
There are a few different safety precautions that the local department of transportation will put into place to protect drivers and passengers from injury if involved in a car crash. These safety precautions usually include various different protective road barriers.
Protective road barriers include, concrete walls, guardrails, and cable barriers. The department of transportation should choose the barrier that provides the most safety possible for the location to help reduce the risk of injury when a car crash occurs.
According to a study on the effectiveness of various protective road barriers, it was found that “a guardrail should be preferred over a concrete wall and a cable barrier should be preferred over a guardrail where the road and traffic conditions allow.” The occupants of a vehicle that travels off the road are the least likely to be injured if cable barriers are present in the median or off the side of the road.
While cable barriers have been determined to be the best way to prevent or reduce injury, the conditions and location of the highway do not always allow for cable barriers to be used. If there is not adequate space available for cable barriers, guardrails may be used instead. Guardrails also will help to protect highway travelers from injury if the more effective cable barriers cannot be installed.
A car crash on the highway is never something to be taken lightly. If a driver is hit by another car or loses control of his or her vehicle, it is possible that the vehicle will be forced off the side of the road. If there is no protective road barrier in place, this could lead to an even more severe car crash or could include colliding with oncoming traffic. Without that protective road barrier, a car crash would likely lead to more severe injuries to everyone involved in that crash.
If you or someone you know suffered a serious injury in a crash, please contact Alexander Law Group, LLP immediately to discuss your rights. Call 888.777.1776 right now, for a free, confidential, and personal consultation with one of our attorneys or contact us online.
