Fitch Barrier
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The Fitch Highway Barrier System, invented by race car driver John Fitch, comprises a series of sand-filled yellow plastic barrels with black lids, often found in a triangular arrangement at the tip of a guardrail between a highway and an exit lane, along the most probable line of impact. The barriers in front contain the most sand, with each successive barrel containing less; so that when a vehicle collides with the barrels they shatter, the kinetic energy is dissipated by scattering the sand, and the vehicle decelerates smoothly instead of violently striking a solid obstruction, reducing the risk of injury to the occupants. Fitch barriers are widely popular due to their effectiveness, low cost, and ease of setup and repair or replacement. Since first being used in the late 1960s, it is estimated that they have saved as many as 17,000 lives.[1]
Fitch says that the design was inspired by sand-filled fuel cans which he used to protect his tent from strafing during World War II. [2]
