# damaged guard rail **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 19, 2016, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damaged-guard-rail/752622 "2016-04-19T03:43:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![turk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/97f17d/32.png) [@turk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/turk)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2016, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damaged-guard-rail/752622/1 "2016-04-19T03:43:33Z")
I often see signs on the side of the highway saying ‘damaged guard rail ahead’. So, I should … ? ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2016, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damaged-guard-rail/752622/2 "2016-04-19T03:45:47Z")
Stop and fix it, obviously. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2016, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damaged-guard-rail/752622/3 "2016-04-19T03:48:52Z")
> [@turk](#): > > I often see signs on the side of the highway saying ‘damaged guard rail ahead’. So, I should … ? Don’t hit it, they’re designed to take absorb one impact, the second one, depending on the style of guard rail and how it was damaged could be like hitting a wall, could sending you right over the top, could flip your car, could bounce you back into traffic, could let your drive through it like it’s not even there (especially if it’s knocked over or missing a section). IOW, pay extra attention and even moreso, if you do hit it, don’t sue the city, you were warned. ETA > [@snfaulkner](#): > > Stop and fix it, obviously. Or that. Also, clean rest stops while you’re at it. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2016, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damaged-guard-rail/752622/4 "2016-04-19T03:51:40Z")
Since I’m not really sure what the question is, let’s move this to IMHO. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Me\_Billy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e480ec/32.png) [@Me\_Billy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Me_Billy)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2016, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damaged-guard-rail/752622/5 "2016-04-19T15:10:46Z")
Well if you are intending to have an accident, then pick another place where the guard rail is in place! ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2016, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damaged-guard-rail/752622/6 "2016-04-19T20:21:01Z")
Upon seeing that sigh one must ask oneself 2 questions: 1. Am I damaged? 2. Am I qualified? If the answer to both is “Yes”, then stop and guard the rail. Honestly, who isn’t a bit damaged yet still qualified to watch a hunk of metal? ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2016, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damaged-guard-rail/752622/7 "2016-04-19T20:26:43Z")
You don’t have to do anything. It just means that if you hit it, it was like that when you got there, they all know about it, and everything is cool. ---
**Author:** ![cornflakes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@cornflakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cornflakes)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2016, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damaged-guard-rail/752622/8 "2016-04-19T21:20:20Z")
> [@snfaulkner](#): > > Stop and fix it, obviously. > [@Joey\_P](#): > > Or that. Also, clean rest stops while you’re at it. And narrow the bridge, while you’re at it. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2016, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/damaged-guard-rail/752622/9 "2016-04-19T21:45:09Z")
I haven’t seen those around here (suburban Boston). They usually send the guard rail replacement people out to fix the actual issue rather than the sign crew to point out the damage. I was the first on the scene to a bad accident a few years ago. The car in front of me suddenly and inexplicably just turned right into the guard rail and nailed it at about 80 mph, destroying both the guard rail and his car in the process. I honestly thought that I was about to deal with either very serious injuries or a fatality but seatbelts, airbags and crumple zones can work wonders. He was seriously hurt but it wasn’t immediately life threatening. I drove by that same guard rail the next morning and it had already been replaced with a brand new one.