Watch: What exactly happens when you hit a crash barrier

UK motoring show ’Fifth Gear’ have made a video which shows what can happen if an unsuspecting motorist hits a crash barrier found on the sides of motorways.

Using a remote control Vauxhall (Opel) Astra, the team set out to test just what happens should you mount a crash barrier if you miss a turn off on the motorway.

At both ends of the barrier there is a slope which is capped with a concrete slab, also sloped, which is designed to slow a car and stop it from hitting road signs.

Whilst the first run is not successful, but does demonstrate a saftey feature and flexibilty of the crash barrier, the second test get its bang on with some 'questionable' results in terms of safety.

The ramp does not slow the car, but instead catapults it into the air and straight through the sign and flipping out onto the road.

In this instance the sign stood no chance against a car travelling 100 - 120Kph, try and imagine if, instead of a sign, the car was met with a birdge/flyover support.

Whilst a lot of people might think this is a UK based issue, we also have number of these barriers on our motorways in Ireland and road safety is one of the biggest issues in the country at the moment.