SAFER barrier

The Steel and Foam Energy Reduction (SAFER) Barrier, sometimes generically referred to as a soft wall, is a technology found primarily on oval automobile race tracks intended to absorb and reduce kinetic energy during the impact of an accident, and thus, lessen injuries sustained to drivers. It was designed by a team of engineers led by Dr. Dean Sicking at the Midwest Roadside Safety Facility at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. It was developed from 1998-2002, and first installed at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in May 2002.