What is the purpose of a concrete safety barrier?

A concrete safety barrier is designed to absorb the energy of crash impacts and therefore lessen the harm caused by a crash. These barriers are placed between streams of traffic headed in opposite directions in order to prevent or lessen the damage from a collision between vehicles.

Shapes of concrete safety barriers include Jersey barriers, f-shape barriers, vertical barriers and truck barriers. Jersey barriers, the original concrete barrier, are the most widely used shape for concrete barriers. F-shape barriers are engineered to lessen the likelihood of a small car rolling over after hitting the barrier. Truck barriers are typically higher than other concrete barriers and provide a glare screen.