Seven full-scale crash tests were conducted to evaluate a concrete bridge-pier protection barrier. This consists of four concrete half-section safety-shape barriers placed in front of the pier and flaring back from the pavement edge. The concrete barrier's end is protected by a 6- by 6-in. box-beam guiderail bolted to the concrete. The barrier was impacted at various points with either 1800- or 4500-lb sedans at 15 degrees and 25 degrees at about 60 mph. The original design caused vehicles to roll over when the concrete barrier was impacted at 25 degree near the first bridge pier. The design was modified by extending the box-beam across the face of the barrier directly in front of the piers.

This document presents a synthesis of current information and operating practices related to roadside safety and is developed in metric units. The roadside is defined as that area beyond the traveled way (driving lanes) and the shoulder (if any) of the roadway itself. The focus of this guide is on safety treatments that minimize the likelihood of serious injuries when a driver runs off the road. This guide replaces the 1989 AASHTO "Roadside Design Guide."

"The Roadside Design Guide presents a synthesis of current information and operating practices related to roadside safety and is written in dual units-metric and U.S. Customary. This book is a guide. It is not a standard, nor is it a design policy. It is intended to use as a resource document from which individual highway agencies can develop standards and policies. Although much of the material in the guide can be considered universal in its application, several recommendations are subjective in nature and may need modification to fit local conditions. However, it is important that significant deviations from the guide be based on operational experience and objective analysis. The 2011 edition of the AASHTO Roadside Design Guide has been updated to include hardware that has met the evaluation criteria contained in the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 350: Recommended Procedures for the Safety Performance Evaluation of Highway Features and begins to detail the most current evaluation criteria contained under the Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware, 2009 (MASH). For the most part, roadside hardware tested and accepted under older guidelines that are no longer applicable has not been excluded in this edition." -- AASHTO website.