A new type of crash barrier which could help to save scores of lives each year is to be pioneered along a stretch of the M6 in the West Midlands.
If it proves a success it could be introduced across the country. Work on installing the new step barrier, on the M6 between Penkridge and Stafford, begins later this month between junctions 12 and 13, Gailey to Stafford South, as part of the Highway's Agency's £5 million motorway maintenance project. The work is likely to take around a month.
The new barrier, which will replace the existing steel crash barriers along the central reservation, is designed to stop vehicles crossing into the opposite carriageway and significantly cuts maintenance bills.
Around 40 lives a year are lost as a result of cross-over incidents.
Tests have shown that the new barrier can contain vehicles up to 13 tonnes, while steel barriers can only stop a vehicle of around 1.5 tonnes, the weight of a BMW 3-series car.
David Jones, director of Britpave, the company which introduced step barrier to the UK, said "Concrete step barrier will not only save lives but will also save the taxpayer huge amounts of money."
He said on sections of the motorway where concrete barriers have been installed, accidents damage has been minimal.
And while the existing steel barrier is expected to have a useful life of around 20 years, the new step barrier is designed to last for 50 years without repair.
A new type of crash barrier which could help to save scores of lives each year is to be pioneered along a stretch of the M6 in the West Midlands.