The Barnes Firm

Thirteen States Across America Remove Controversial X-Lite Guardrail Heads from Highways After Accidents Raise Safety Concerns

• August 31, 2018
• Sandy

After multiple tragic car accidents across the country resulted in fatalities due to guardrail heads spearing cars and taking them off the roads, thirteen states are responding by banning the Lindsay X-LITE end caps from state highways.

Linday’s X-LITE guardrail heads

The Federal Highway Administration first approved the X-LITE guardrail head in 2011 after it had been tested and deemed safe to install. Now, after fatalities across the country, many states are taking them off the roads.

When a car hits a guardrail, the “end terminal” or cap on the end is supposed to act like an accordion and absorb the car’s impact, according to San Diego car accident attorneys. Designed to protect drivers, the metal railing has instead penetrated through multiple car windshields and doors, resulting in deaths and injuries all over the country.

In a recent San Diego car accident, photos taken by the California Highway Patrol (CHP) show a guardrail pierced through the car’s windshield, ripped out the driver’s headrest and continued through the rear window, extended out at least 20 feet, according to San Diego’s NBC 7.

Department of Transportation bans X-LITE terminal ends in 13 states

Many states’ Department of Transportation (DOT) are responding to these tragic accidents by banning the X-LITE terminal ends. In thirteen states, including California, DOTs have removed the X-LITE guardrail end terminal from its qualified products list, meaning they can no longer be replaced or installed.

Unfortunately, there still remains the thousands of X-LITE end terminal guardrails already installed across the country that could stay in place for years.

The good news is these states are now requiring stricter crash testing standards, known as MASH, according to the Federal Highway Administration and the Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO).

After Lindsay Transportation Solutions denied an interview with San Diego NBC 7, a list of questions was sent to the company for more information. A spokesperson from Lindsay said, “Guardrail end terminals are designed to mitigate the risk of hitting fixed objects such as utility poles, steep embankments, and other unyielding objects when a driver leaves the road, but they cannot eliminate all the risks involved with an unintended exit.”

Despite the controversy over the Lindsay X-LITE end terminals, San Diego car accident attorneys at The Barnes Firm urge Americans to drive safely. If you’d like to talk with an experienced local attorney about dangerous guardrail accidents and traffic safety, call The Barnes Firm at 1-800-800-000.