A guardrail terminal (10, 100, 200, 270), comprising: a feeder chute (18, 292) having a horizontal width; an impact head (20, 203, 296); and a throat (294, 350) positioned between the feeder chute (18, 292) and the impact head (20, 203, 296), the throat (294, 350) including at least one deflector (114, 116, 118, 154, 156, 158, 162, 286, 288, 290) extending horizontally from an interior wall of the throat (294, 350) for folding a guardrail during collision or impact, the deflector (286, 288, 290) extending a first width from the interior wall of the throat (294, 350) at a first end and second width greater than the first width from the interior wall of the throat (294, 350) at a second end upstream from the first end, characterized in - the throat (294, 350) having at its entrance the horizontal width of the feeder chute (18, 292) and having a flared region widening to a final width and length with a flare rate, - wherein the throat (294, 350) with the at least one deflector (114, 116, 118, 154, 156, 158, 162, 286, 288, 290) is configured to flatten into a nearly straight beam and then to fold in half into a relatively narrow V-shape a W-shaped guardrail beam, or the throat (294, 350) with the at least one deflector (114, 116, 118, 154, 156, 158, 162, 286, 288, 290) is configured to continuously squeeze the W-shaped guardrail beam into a narrow U- shape. a feeder chute (18, 292) having a horizontal width; an impact head (20, 203, 296); and a throat (294, 350) positioned between the feeder chute (18, 292) and the impact head (20, 203, 296), the throat (294, 350) including at least one deflector (114, 116, 118, 154, 156, 158, 162, 286, 288, 290) extending horizontally from an interior wall of the throat (294, 350) for folding a guardrail during collision or impact, the deflector (286, 288, 290) extending a first width from the interior wall of the throat (294, 350) at a first end and second width greater than the first width from the interior wall of the throat (294, 350) at a second end upstream from the first end, characterized in - the throat (294, 350) having at its entrance the horizontal width of the feeder chute (18, 292) and having a flared region widening to a final width and length with a flare rate, - wherein the throat (294, 350) with the at least one deflector (114, 116, 118, 154, 156, 158, 162, 286, 288, 290) is configured to flatten into a nearly straight beam and then to fold in half into a relatively narrow V-shape a W-shaped guardrail beam, or the throat (294, 350) with the at least one deflector (114, 116, 118, 154, 156, 158, 162, 286, 288, 290) is configured to continuously squeeze the W-shaped guardrail beam into a narrow U- shape. - the throat (294, 350) having at its entrance the horizontal width of the feeder chute (18, 292) and having a flared region widening to a final width and length with a flare rate, - wherein the throat (294, 350) with the at least one deflector (114, 116, 118, 154, 156, 158, 162, 286, 288, 290) is configured to flatten into a nearly straight beam and then to fold in half into a relatively narrow V-shape a W-shaped guardrail beam, or the throat (294, 350) with the at least one deflector (114, 116, 118, 154, 156, 158, 162, 286, 288, 290) is configured to continuously squeeze the W-shaped guardrail beam into a narrow U- shape.