Safety Technology Prevented Potential Catastrophe for Mike Pence's Plane

— -- After his plane overshot the runway at New York City’s LaGuardia Airport last night, Vice Presidential candidate Gov. Mike Pence took off this morning, unscathed, in a new aircraft. None of the staffers, press, or crew on the plane were injured.

But if it hadn't been for safety technology at the end of the runway, Pence’s plane, a Boeing 737 carrying 48 people, could have skidded across the grass and into the path of vehicles on an adjacent roadway, Port Authority officials told ABC News.

Engineered Material Arresting Systems, or EMAS, are installed at airports like LaGuardia, where nearby bodies of water, mountains or infrastructure prevent officials from keeping a large open space at the end of the runway.

EMAS “arrestor beds,” made of crushable cement, crumble under the weight of an aircraft when it veers off the runway. As the tires sink into the material, the plane decelerates.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, EMAS can stop a plane traveling as fast as 80 miles per hour.

Including Pence’s plane, EMAS has safely stopped overrunning aircraft 11 times, according to the FAA. The technology is installed in 61 airports across the U.S., including JFK, Chicago O’Hare, and Washington’s Reagan National.

As Pence's running mate, Donald Trump, later told rally guests, his VP pick was "pretty close to grave, grave danger."

ABC News’ Josh Margolin contributed to this report.