Crossover accidents drop after cables installed

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Fatalities from vehicles crossing into oncoming traffic on Missouri interstates have dropped dramatically since the state began installing three-wire cables on highway medians.

State officials say crossover fatalities on Missouri interstates dropped 52 percent since the state began installing the cables in 2005. The state averaged 48 interstate crossover deaths each year from 2002 to 2005, but that dropped to 23 fatalities in 2006.

The barriers are made of three strands of cable strung through poles. They save lives by stopping out-of-control vehicles from reaching oncoming traffic.

"We've not had a single crossover fatal in our district since the cables went in," said Earl Wallace, incident management coordinator with the Missouri Department of Transportation office in the Springfield district, which includes an 83-mile stretch of I-44 in Greene, Webster and Laclede counties.

Though not designed to stop semitrailer trucks, the cables have repeatedly done that. Wallace estimated that 10 semis have hit the barriers and not penetrated the cables in his district.

"It's incredible to me that there's so many people who hit those cables," Wallace said. "It serves its purpose."

Missouri Department of Transportation spokesman Bob Edwards said he found the number of guard-cable collisions "amazing."

Although they are credited with saving lives, the cables will cost motorists who hit them.

"We do try to get some payment from them for damaging state property," Edwards said. "We'll get the police reports of the crashes and try to find out who's at fault and get their insurance company to pay for the damage.

"Taxpayers pay for that stuff, so we try to recoup those losses," Edwards said.