How do you stop a determined terrorist from ramming their explosives-laden vehicle into their target?
Via Core77, Texas A&M's Crashworthy Structures Program have a solution - a barrier that can withstand the impact of a truck driven at speeds over 50 miles per hour, bringing it to a full stop in the length of its cab in fractions of a second.
The Texas Tribune describes the goals and design philosophy behind Texas A&M's anti-perimeter barrier:
This particular crash test centered on a 24-foot-wide barrier buried 18 inches into the ground, Alberson said. The goal was to prevent the truck bed from making it further than one meter past the barrier, a spot marked by a blue pole at the testing site. None of the truck's bed made it past the barrier, marking the test a success, Alberson said. The ability of a driver to survive such a crash is not a primary concern.
Indeed.