Would Rocky's accident have been prevented if there had been more tarmac for him to squeeze by on? Probably.
I'd say that shunt must have been a factor which helped lead us to this.
Granted most big shunts down that stretch have nothing to do with the grass and the distance to the barriers is so short that a strip of tarmac would have no effect.
This was a bit of a moment let's say:
http://youtu.be/7fnmc7rO6wM?t=4m9s