Abstract
There are clear similarities between the objectives for safety fence stated in the British Standard TD 19/85 and the FHWA objectives for guard rail terminals. There are also broad similarities in the types of road to which these standards apply, although the traffic figures in the USA are somewhat lower. The US authorities seem to have identified a potential accident problem with ramped ends of safety fence. Crash tests have been carried out and changes been made in the guidelines for impact properties. This paper describes the background and goes on to make estimates of the scale of the problem. Is there an accident problem in Great Britain? If there is, what could be done.