Cable barrier

High school (ages 12+)
Transportation

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/cable-barrier

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the barrier classification?Flexible roadside safety barrier system
2. What is the primary deployment location?Medians of divided highways
3. How does a cable barrier stop a car safely?When a car hits a cable barrier, the posts bend or break and the ropes stretch, absorbing the car’s energy and gently pushing the car back onto the road instead of stopping it abruptly.
4. Why do highways use cable barriers instead of concrete ones?Cable barriers are cheaper to build and maintain, work well on wide roads and slopes, and help protect drivers, so many highways choose them over concrete barriers.

Errant Vehicle: A vehicle that deviates from its intended path of travel.
Kinetic Energy Dissipation: The process of reducing the energy of motion in a vehicle during an impact.
Median Shielding: The use of barriers to protect the central strip separating opposing traffic lanes.
Crash Dynamics: The study of how vehicles behave and interact during a collision.