NEW JERSEY: THE BARRIER THAT SAVES LIVES

NEW JERSEY: LE BARRIERE CHE SALVANO LA VITA

THE MINISTRY OF PUBLIC WORKS HAS ISSUED A REGULATION ON ROAD SAFETY BARRIERS. FOR THE FIRST TIME IN ITALY, A CORRELATION WAS ESTABLISHED BETWEEN THE TYPE OF ROAD CLASSIFIED BASED ON THE VOLUME OF TRAFFIC AND GEOMETRIC CHARACTERISTICS, AND THE TYPOLOGY OF THE SAFETY SYSTEMS TO BE USED. THE DECREE ALSO ESTABLISHED THE ORDER OF IMPORTANCE OF THE CHARACTERISTIC WHICH THE BARRIER MUST HAVE. FIRST OF ALL, IT MUST SUCCEED IN STOPPING THE VEHICLE FROM GOING OVER IT, THEN IT MUST REDUCE THE DECELERATIONS AND FINALLY IT MUST LIMIT DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE AND THE DIVERSION OF ITS TRAJECTORY. ONE OF THE SYSTEMS WHICH IS BECOMING USED IN ITALY AND WHICH HAS THE CHARACTERISTICS REQUIRED BY LAW IS THE BARRIER MADE OF REINFORCED CONCRETE, CALLED "NEW JERSEY". IT IS SEEN MORE AND MORE IN ONE FORM OR ANOTHER ALONG MOTORWAYS, STATE ROADS AND URBAN HIGHWAYS. RESEARCH CARRIED OUT IN VARIOUS COUNTRIES TO IMPROVE THE LEVEL OF ROAD SAFETY HAS IN FACT BROUGHT ABOUT, BASED ON THE EVALUATION OF STATISTICS OF AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENTS, MORE GENERALIZED INTRODUCTION OF THE SAFETY BARRIER IN CONCRETE. IT IS KNOWN THAT 70% OF TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS WERE DUE TO HEAD ON COLLISIONS BETWEEN VEHICLES OR COLLISIONS AT THE TURN-OFF MOTORWAYS. THE PRESENCE OF A BARRIER LIKE THE NEW JERSEY SERIES, WHICH REDUCES THE POSSIBILITY OF GOING OVER IT, CAN HAVE FAVOURABLE CONSEQUENCES IN THESE SITUATIONS.

• Corporate Authors:

  N/A

  ,   United States 
• Publication Date: 1994-6

Language

• Italian

Media Info

• Pagination: p. 16-19
• Serial:
  • CANTIERI STRADE COSTRUZIONI
  • Volume: 11
  • Issue Number: 5
  • Publisher: N/A

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Continuous structures; Crash cushions; Drums (Containers); Freeways; Guardrails; Highways; Reinforced concrete; Safety; Shock (Mechanics); Traffic flow
• ITRD Terms: 9006: Continuous; 2755: Highway; 2752: Motorway; 4794: Reinforced concrete; 1665: Safety; 1686: Safety fence; 5471: Shock; 671: Traffic flow
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00739209
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: TRL
• Files: ITRD
• Created Date: Aug 28 1997 12:00AM