Roads and vehicles are all engineered for safety. Standards make sure that performance is the same regardless of the manufacturer. There are a series of standards that evaluate the stopping power of various barriers and boundaries -- however when it comes to crash barriers there are several rating systems.

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Barriers built explicitly to protect perimeters from head-on crashes are often called "anti-ram" barriers. These include bollards, fences, wedge barriers and drop beams.

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In order to evaluate the effectiveness of a barrier, the Department of Defense developed a "K-rating" system back in the 1980s. This became the standard in AVB crash rating. 

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The utility of anti-ram barriers became more commonplace. Every day, an average of over 60 vehicles crash into storefronts, causing serious injury and property loss. This led to a need for a more civilian focused design aimed at protecting people. This started the ASTM International (American Society for Testing and Materials) to being testing and certifying anti-ram barriers. There are two major ASTM standards available currently, for high-speed and low-speed crashes.

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Crash Standards: ASTM 2656 and ASTM 3016.