Report into passively safe lighting columns

Lighting columns and other roadside structures such as overhead gantries play an essential role in road safety, by improving night time visibility or giving information to drivers. However old generation units themselves pose a potential hazard as they can be impacted by vehicles departing the roadway and potentially with fatal results in the event of a high speed crash. This is why newer passively safe columns have been developed, which are designed to collapse in a controlled fashion when impacted, reduci
November 16, 2015 Read time: 1 min

Lighting columns and other roadside structures such as overhead gantries play an essential role in road safety, by improving night time visibility or giving information to drivers. However old generation units themselves pose a potential hazard as they can be impacted by vehicles departing the roadway and potentially with fatal results in the event of a high speed crash. This is why newer passively safe columns have been developed, which are designed to collapse in a controlled fashion when impacted, reducing the risk of death or injury to vehicle occupants.

This paper investigates some of the key issues for passively safe columns.

Road Structures

Related Content

  • Ukraine’s shattered highways
    July 26, 2024
    With no end to its war with Russia in sight, Ukraine is also fighting hard to cope with a growing backlog of major infrastructure projects, especially in terms of rebuilding the country’s roads and bridges. David Arminas reports.
    Read More
  • New roller barrier from Korean firm ETI
    April 23, 2019
    South Korean firm ETI is offering a novel roller barrier system, designed to reduce crash risks. The system meets both US and European requirements for barriers and is well-proven in the South Korean market, with over 100km in use on the country’s road network. In addition, the firm has also supplied systems to customers in other Asian countries including Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand, as well as Latin America, including Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Mexico. For the moment the company has not yet
    Read More
  • Poor pedestrian safety in the US
    October 5, 2018
    The US road network features poor pedestrian safety, a problem the authorities are struggling to tackle. According to data from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), 5,977 pedestrians died on US roads in 2017. Of concern is that this is the second highest figure since 1990, with 2016 having seen the peak with a figure 2% higher. Worryingly, pedestrian deaths are some 46% higher than they were in 2009. Of note too is that road deaths increased by 3% for occupants of SUVs and by
    Read More
  • A virtual virtuous circle
    January 18, 2021
    Virtual sensors will allow a safer driving experience and reduce road maintenance costs. Tactile Mobility’s Eitan Grosbard talks to David Arminas
    Read More

Highlighted Content