Would it make you nervous to pull up to this “psychological barrier?”

You most likely would not even think about it.

We tend to “assume” that things like this are going to be safe–much the way we take for granted that a chair is going to hold us when we sit on it.  Now it would likely not be practical to build a barrier that could stop an out of control car going many miles an hour–that is what bridge abutments are for, however some amount of adequate barrier is a good idea.

As a side note, that nice little black wood line along the walkway is, for all intents and purposes, flush with the asphalt.

But take a closer look at this fence that has the illusion of being a barrier.  I seriously doubt that it would have the strength to withstand much of an impact and of course the wood walkway, rotten in many places, most certainly would not support the weight of a car.  Of course if the front or back wheels dropped through the walkway, I suspect the car would come to a pretty immediate stop that even four wheel drive might not get you out of.

The supports below this walkway are inadequate as well.

As you can see in the next picture, on the other side of the fence, there is a very steep ravine with a nice little stream at the bottom (wish you could see the stream).

Of course if someone crashed through the fence and the car hung up on the edge, they would have a much better view of that nice little stream 30 feet below.

I personally like to avoid situations that might make my pants wet–view or no view–but that is me.

By Charles Buell, Real Estate Inspections in Seattle

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