“The average motorist has no idea how sophisticated these barriers are,” writes engineer Kelly A. Giblin in Invention & Technology magazine. “Their primary function is obviously to separate opposing flows of traffic. But their wedge design was developed to minimize the severity of accidents by restoring control of a vehicle on impact,” Giblin explains. “In a shallow-angle collision—a sideswiping—the Jersey barrier lets the front tire ride up its lower angled face and gets the vehicle back on the roadway with minimal damage.” In other words, the barrier not only reduces head-on collisions, but
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