GREENVILLE--South Carolina expects motorists who hit cable barriers along interstate medians to pay for the repairs, but few actually do, state transportation officials say.

More than 350 miles of metal cables run along interstates in South Carolina to help prevent motorists from crossing medians and crashing into oncoming traffic.

There have been thousands of crashes that caused damage since the cables were installed in the past few years and more than 100 lives saved.

But only about 25 percent of the repairs have been paid for by motorists because many drive off without calling authorities, said Dick Jenkins, state transportation safety and systems engineer.

"We have had a number of folks, who have written and called us to thank us for having them there and they weren't bothered to pay because it saved their life," Jenkins said. "We felt good about that."

State officials expected the barriers would be hit a lot, and that the repair and replacement would be costly, Jenkins said.

Charging the responsible motorists is what the state decided was the best solution.

On average, repairs cost about $800 per incident.

Jenkins said the state bills motorists' insurance companies to get the repair reimbursements when possible.

The state started installing the barriers in December 2000. They operate similarly to the wires that catch jets on aircraft carriers, Jenkins said.