Safety Standards for Guardrails
The presence of guardrails adds an important level of safety to highway travel. Ranging from wooden dividers to concrete barriers, each type of guardrail can serve a different purpose. However, there are a few guiding principles that govern which barriers are safest on a particular road and which material is most appropriate for a given situation.
If you or someone you love has been injured in an accident that was caused or influenced by a road defect, you may have grounds for legal action. Contact the Madison car accident lawyers of Habush Habush & Rottier S.C. ®, at 800-242-2874 for a free initial consultation.
Required Guardrail Standards
In addition to federal recommendations, states may assess their own barrier options, determining whether a guardrail matches safety requirements. Generally, the following serve as major safety concerns in guardrail tests:
- If the railing will harm passengers
- If the railing will disintegrate into the vehicle upon impact
- If the railing will rebound a vehicle back into traffic
- If the railing will sufficiently stop a moving vehicle
In many cases, concrete barriers have been replaced by cable systems because of these safety evaluations. In several high-speed scenarios, a concrete barrier would actually bounce the wrecked vehicle back into traffic. Cable barriers, capable of stopping the vehicle without causing too much damage, often do not have the same problems, and have been employed across many major roads and highways.
Contact Us
If you have been injured on the highway due to a defect involving a safety device, contact the Madison car accident attorneys of Habush Habush & Rottier S.C. ®, by calling 800-242-2874.
