THE ROADSIDE SAFETY BARRIERS. PROCEEDINGS OF STRATEGIC HIGHWAY RESEARCH AND TRAFFIC SAFETY PROGRAM ON TWO CONTINENTS, GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN, 27-29 SEPTEMBER, 1989

Research carried out on various countries showed the importance of roadside safety features for improving road safety. These experiments usually led these countries to create their own regulations concerning these devices. Our intention is to deal with the French experience which leads at present to revision of standards in force. These new regulations rely on a great number of full scale impact tests but also on a systematic analysis of accidents with run off the road. We shall only get on to the field of lateral barriers, our reflexion being less well on in the field of crash cushions. Concerning lateral barriers, there are some categories of big problems (type of vehicles to be held back, type of road network..) to which certain types of devices should match. As safety of private car passengers should be provided, our recent experience has shown the importance of creating several service levels depending on the type of road to be equipped. There are three levels: level 1 is the standard level of equipment; level 2 corresponds to the secondary road network on difficult site on which either specific devices are more suitable or it is possible to reduce the cost with simple devices; level 3 corresponds to the urban network. In some cases we have to hold back heavy vehicles, with two big levels, either a medium prevention, or in some extreme cases, a type of device maintaining the safety in some very severe accident conditions (bridges getting over occupied areas). The development of motorway networks leads at present to consider specific barriers for the equipment of central reserves, in order to avoid the overstepping of vehicles, heavy vehicles included. The analysis of accident data, particularly our file covering about 1,000 kms of motorways, shows that with the present rigid barriers there is on one hand an advantage, owing to the absence of heavy trucks overstepping, on the other hand, an overall increasing of accident severity involving cars, the results depending on the local conditions.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/03476030
• Corporate Authors:

  Swedish National Road and Traffic Research Institute

  Drottning Kristinas Vaeg 25
  S-11428 Stockholm,   Sweden 
• Authors:
  • Quincy, R
• Publication Date: 1990

Media Info

• Pagination: p. 65-66
• Serial:
  • VTI Rapport
  • Publisher: Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute (VTI)
  • ISSN: 0347-6030

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Barriers (Roads); Networks; Roads; Roadside structures; Safety; Safety equipment; Secondary roads; Testing
• Uncontrolled Terms: Barriers; Road networks; Safety features
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Design; Highways; Safety and Human Factors; I85: Safety Devices used in Transport Infrastructure;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00494109
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Swedish National Road and Traffic Research Institute
• Report/Paper Numbers: 349A, HS-040 866
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Apr 30 1990 12:00AM