Compatibility of Passenger Vehicles and Cable Median Barrier Systems

Cross-median crashes are one of the most severe type of highway crashes. Many state Departments of Transportation (DOTs) install median barriers, such as cable median barriers (CMBs), to reduce the rate of cross-median crashes. Nonetheless, these barriers are not always successful. Approximately 20,000 cable barrier crashes throughout the United States spanning between 1999 and 2010 were examined, and detailed data was sufficient to determine the prevailing causes of 182 penetration crashes (i.e., barrier was breached). Penetration crashes involving CMBs were affected by: (1) impact conditions; (2) barrier placement and design; and (3) vehicle factors, including geometry and inertial properties. In general, CMB crashes occur at higher CG trajectory angles than with other roadside features. The 85th percentile CG trajectory angle for cable barriers was 39 degrees, compared to 25 degrees when all roadside features are considered. Approximately 2.2% of all CMB crashes were severe, although penetrations were between two and thirteen times more likely to be severe than non-penetration crashes. Vehicle factors such as weight and geometrical profile affected the likelihood of CMB penetrations. Headlights or taillights fractured or were damaged in approximately 80% of non-penetration crashes, but were damaged or fractured in less than 60% of penetration crashes, often by additional unrelated impacts. Lastly, heavier vehicles with more kinetic energy were more likely than similar, lighter vehicles to penetrate CMBs. Through better understanding of all of the complicating factors affecting CMB performance, better designs and guidelines can be prepared to maximize CMB effectiveness.