How Road Barriers Stopped Killing Drivers

We've gotten way better at the engineering and design of road barriers — often in surprising ways — to dramatically reduce driving deaths.

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🌟 🌟 UPDATE: Dec 12, 2023 🌟 🌟

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SOURCES

It took a full month to research this video. Here are some of the most important sources I've used:
A comparison of freeway median crash frequency, severity, and barrier

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TIMELINE
0:00 Driving deaths are WAY less
1:01 How we test barriers for safety
2:37 When barriers are used or avoided
3:19 The surprising design of concrete barriers
4:37 How guardrails are designed to absorb energy
5:44 Why concrete & guardrail connections stopped crushing vehicles
6:08 Cable barriers and how they gently slow vehicles down
6:42 Why some people think cable barriers are dangerous
8:23 How guardrails used to impale people
9:26 How new guardrail ends actually save drivers
11:00 How larger structures are protected
13:16 What your life and limbs are worth ($$$$)
13:55 What if saving your life isn't "worth it"?

Credits
Drekken Pownz for his critical input on storytelling, content strategy, and design
Sam Leung for his feedback and listening to me complain

[fededevi]

engineers in the 70: Let's put jumps at the end of barriers, sounds fun.

[mattkiefs]

Important note: 'phased out' means 'no longer approved for installation' not that they were all ripped out and replaced. Still plenty of older installations out there that aren't up to code anymore still spearing and slicing people.

[MarkRober]

Only 2 mins in and I already love where this is headed.

[rachelmarieschmidt]

I am entirely humbled a long line of people I'll never know have worked to secure my life and limb; we whinge about so many small ways we feel society fails us, but are unaware of the design, work, and policies that may have served us without our knowing. Thank you Andrew for a very educational video.

[tristanbach]

The whole time I'm watching this, I'm thinking, "Oof, if I hit a barrier, I wanna hit THAT one, not _that_ one."

[jadelilly]

Those cable barriers saved mine and my kids' lives. I lost control of my car during and unexpected snow storm and hit one doing about 60. Totaled my car but we walked away shaken but mostly unscathed. I thank the stars for engineers, we wouldn't be here without them!

[mikes]

Restorable unit engineer's thinking process: "Just 5 more crashes and this baby will literally start saving us money!"

[edwardkane]

As a guy that works for my states DOT I can say you put together a very informative video. I deal with all this on a daily basis and it’s great to see someone so well informed and educating the public.

[christopherg.]

As a truck driver, this is something I've always wondered about, seeing so many bad accidents with barriers. Thanks for taking the time to research the subject and for making this video.

[blenderguru]

Loved this. Well researched, entertaining and educational. Subscribed.

[TheRecord]

"head slap" sounds so innocent for instant death.

[mmogan]

I'm a highway engineer with over 20 years of experience. Great job on this video. It has a lot of good information and explains MASH compliance well and why it's important. The historical progression of barriers also helps understand the topic and why it's so important. I've shared it with my group at work.

[sportsfanatic]

I had no idea the “wasted” land between and beside highway roads was called a clear zone or that it’s specifically designed to save drivers. I just assumed it was “extra land” in case they decided to add another lane at another time.

[yourhandlehere]

"with enough crashes, restorable units save money"
YO! We need some moah crashes ovah heah! Joey, go hit dat barrier a few times.

[holgergoertz]

Today’s engineers: “we need to reduce impact force”
70s engineers: “hehe car go bye bye”

[adriantcullysover]

I now pay more attention at the barriers around my city. This is knowledgeable and entertaining. Thank you Andrew!

[simpleman]

Today's engineers: "We need to reduce the impact force"
70s engineers: YEET!

[codyhufstetler]

I remember in college, in our first actual engineering course, they had us do some problems about this exact topic to drive home how deadly serious engineering can be, and the hard decisions engineers sometimes have to make. If you're making the decision whether to install guardrails, you don't have infinite money. If we want to make calculated informed decisions about where and when to install guardrails, you will eventually need to solve for x, where x is the value of a human life. As much as we'd like to think a human life is infinitely valuable, that would make it impossible to determine when and where to spend on safety improvements instead of, say, improving the roads, providing public libraries, or delivering mail. So there must be a number. Who decides x? Hopefully it's never me.

[pinchikassandra]

11:12 was absolutely hilarious.. Someone, somewhere said " Yeah, this is a safe design. Gives them a fun ride before they die."

[MEMEMEMEMELOL]

Thank you for posting this. im always worried about my family members dying in car crashes to the point of panic. You helped me a lot get over that by making this video. I didn't know this stuff.