Calls Grow to Restart Motorway Concrete Barrier Programme Amid EV Safety Concerns

National Highways is being urged to resume its programme to replace ageing steel motorway barriers with stronger concrete systems as safety concerns rise over heavier electric vehicles (EVs).

Most existing steel barriers were designed to contain vehicles weighing up to 1.5 tonnes, significantly below the weight of modern battery-powered SUVs and EVs, which can exceed 2.2 tonnes.

In a new report titled Containing the Risk of Heavier Electric Cars: A Concrete Solution, concrete paving trade body Britpave warns that outdated barriers may fail to contain electric vehicles in collisions, increasing the risk of vehicles crossing central reservations into oncoming traffic.

Concrete barriers, the report argues, offer far greater protection, capable of containing vehicles up to 13.5 tonnes in testsand even stopping 44-tonne HGVs in real-world crashes.

Recognising their superior strength, National Highways launched a three-year programme in 2022 to replace 63 miles of steel barriers on motorways reaching the end of their 20-year design life. The work covers sections of the M6, M62, M42, M1, M4, and M5.

However, the abandonment of the smart motorway programme led to funding cuts and delays, causing many replacement projects to stall.

The Vehicle Restraint Manufacturers Association has also highlighted the issue as a “critical and largely overlooked” safety concern during the UK’s transition to electric vehicles.

US crash testing conducted by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Midwest Roadside Safety Facility demonstrated that a Tesla Model 3 lifted and passed beneath a steel guardrail at 62 mph, whereas a concrete barrier successfully contained the same vehicle.

Britpave Chair Al McDermid said:

“Steel barriers were never designed for the increased weight of electric vehicles. They are simply not robust enough to contain errant vehicles and prevent them from crossing central reservations.Concrete barriers are recognised for their superior containment, yet the replacement programme appears to be faltering at a time when it should be accelerated and expanded.”