The NRA does it again

contemporary said:

i cant see much of a difference as a biker hitting an armco or the wire at 120kmph tbh

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If you hit it head on, maybe not.

If you hit it at an angle, you have a better chance with the Armco, because:

• It's continuous, meaning you could slide along and/or be deflected;
• The barrier is wider, spreading the impact loads compared to the wire rope;
• The posts are enclosed within the barrier.

By comparison, the wire rope is rougher and narrower, meaning it would tend to cut if one slid along it, and the posts are not enclosed, so would cause more damage on impact.

Suffice it to say, as noted in the report above, a number of European countries have moved to ban the wire rope barriers. One can only assume their safety experts have good grounds for doing so.

Good info here too: [broken link removed] (Final report of the Motorcyclists & Crash Barriers Project - FEMA)

The armco is less likely to hook under your chin and rip your head off.