Road safety charity calls for cable barriers to be removed

Nearly 150 miles of roads in the UK still use cable barriers, also known as ‘cheese cutters’, which IAM Roadsmart wants replaced by more motorcycle-friendly alternatives.

The road safety charity has launched a campaign calling on Highways Authorities to scrap them altogether by the end of the decade, due to the high risk they pose to motorcyclists unlucky enough to collide with them.

According to IAM Roadsmart, collisions between motorcyclists and barriers account for 76 per cent of fatal or serious accidents. That number is reduced to 16 per cent for other types of accidents. 

A Parliamentary question in February revealed that 143 miles of road in England, Wales, and Scotland use cable barriers, although they are being scrapped in Northern Ireland. Cable barriers have jagged edges along the wire ropes, which are more dangerous than a standard guardrail. They also greatly reduce the surface area that, should a rider slide into them, the body impacts into, increasing the risk of fatal injuries.

IAM RoadSmart Director of Policy and Standards Nicholas Lyes said this about the new petition: 

“Motorcyclists have long been calling for these dangerous cable barriers to be removed, and yet across England, almost 150 miles of wire rope remain. We are calling on the Government to remove and replace them with a Motorcyclist Protection System (MPS) which includes protected posts. 

“In addition, whenever a barrier is installed, the distance from the road should be as large as possible to allow for evasive manoeuvres and maximum emergency braking in the event of a collision which might reduce the force of the collision impact with the barrier. Motorcyclists are among the most vulnerable road users in Britain, with fatalities rising by eight per cent in 2024 despite an overall decline in road deaths, according to Department for Transport data. We need to be doing everything we can to make their journeys safer.”

If all cable barriers are indeed removed from the UK, it will follow a similar approach to that of Norway, which removed these barriers in 2006. Norway now has a ‘vision zero’ system in place, which has been implemented to stop all fatal, or serious accidents from happening. 

National Motorcyclists Council Executive Director Craig Carey-Clinch added: 

“Cable barriers have been a controversial risk to motorcyclists since their introduction. Their basic design represents a very serious injury risk for any motorcyclist who comes into contact with them as a result of an incident. Although collision attenuator systems do exist, they are only a partially effective compromise and not widely used. 

“Given the relatively low mileage of wire ropes which remain in the UK, the NMC feels it is time that wire rope barriers should be consigned to history and is today supporting IAM RoadSmart’s call for them to be replaced by more motorcyclist friendly options. Their removal will also help reduce glare from oncoming headlights which would be a further safety benefit for all road users.”

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