FHWA barrier guidance is contained in the AASHTO Roadside Design Guide. However, FHWA field offices often raise numerous issues that involve interpretations, extrapolations, device selection, hardware deployment, or simply trying to fit safety devices into real world conditions. These questions and answers offer clarification on the use of roadside hardware for issues not covered by FHWA policy or topics that simply need additional explanation. They are the considered opinions of engineers in the FHWA Office of Safety Design and the FHWA Resource Center with helpful input from members of the American Traffic Safety Services Association's Guardrail Committee. 

This new publication, "Safety Benefits of Median Barrier and Roadside Guardrail," was developed to address some of the negative assumptions that have recently affected the guardrail and cable barrier industry. The study showcases the various technologies designed to specifically improve safety on our roadways. Featured are “success stories” where road user(s) lives were saved by the successful performance of guardrail and median barriers.