---
title: "Crash Cushion / End Terminal"
url: "https://commonwaysystem.org/patterns/elements/crash-cushion-end-terminal/"
id: "ELM-CCT-24"
description: "An energy-absorbing device installed at the exposed end of a traffic barrier or in front of a fixed hazard, designed to decelerate an impacting vehicle gradually rather than presenting a rigid, unshielded end or face."
updated: "2026-09-26"
---

# Crash Cushion / End Terminal

`ELM-CCT-24`

Recommended Element

Crash Cushion / End Terminal

An energy-absorbing device installed at the exposed end of a traffic barrier or in front of a fixed hazard, designed to decelerate an impacting vehicle gradually rather than presenting a rigid, unshielded end or face.

## Why this pattern exists

An unshielded barrier end or exposed fixed object can spear or abruptly stop an impacting vehicle, causing more severe injury than a properly designed energy-absorbing terminal would; this pattern exists specifically to address that exposure, since it is a distinct failure mode from the barrier’s general run.[1]

## Key considerations

-   Required wherever a traffic barrier’s end is exposed to head-on or angled impact from the direction of travel
-   Device selection must match the expected impact speed and angle for the specific location, not be applied as a generic default
-   Regular inspection and maintenance is necessary, since a damaged or improperly reset device may not perform as designed in a subsequent impact[2]

## Related patterns

[Traffic Barrier](https://commonwaysystem.org/patterns/elements/traffic-barrier.md) (ELM-TRB-23) (the element this pattern terminates); [Bollard](https://commonwaysystem.org/patterns/elements/bollard.md) (ELM-BOL-25) (a related but distinct safety hardware type)

## References

1.  Legal / regulatory [American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, _Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware_ (MASH), 2016.](https://store.transportation.org/item/publicationdetail/2707)
2.  Legal / regulatory [Federal Highway Administration / American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, Joint Implementation Agreement guidance on MASH transition deadlines.](https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/78583)