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 17, 2015 Read time: 1 min
An impact with a passively safe column will still damage a vehicle, however the impact forces will be much reduced and the occupants spared serious injury
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.
Highway & Network Management

Related Content

  • How retroreflection can assist in improving traffic safety
    April 29, 2015
    Better road markings can boost safety for road users. There is currently a strong focus on traffic safety in Europe with a number of programmes intended to reduce the overall number of crashes on roads and cut the statistics for injuries and fatalities. In the first EU programme implemented between 2001 and 2010, the goal was to halve the number of people killed in road crashes. Most EU countries showed significant improvement over the decade and a few countries met or even exceeded this target of 50% r
    Read More
  • GRAA winner profile: Thailand adopts integrated road safety management to cut casualties
    June 11, 2021
    IRF recognises value of national road injury risk diagnosis programme
    Read More
  • European Transport Safety Commission makes call for traffic safety boost
    July 10, 2015
    In 2013, 7,600 people died in road traffic while cycling or walking in European Union (EU) countries – the equivalent of a commercial airliner full of passengers being lost every week Because of this risk of death, the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) wants vehicle manufacturers and local authorities to pay special attention to improving safety for cyclists, walkers and pedestrians. In a new report, the ETSC said the numbers being killed are falling more slowly than those for vehicle occupants. Over
    Read More
  • Improving a key route through Florida
    November 9, 2015
    Upgrading a key route through Florida – novel construction techniques are helping widen a road in difficult geological conditions – Lucio Garofalo reports. A major road widening project underway in Florida is due for completion soon. The work will improve an important section of road, reducing congestion at peak period and cutting travel times for drivers. The US 331/SR83 highway runs for some 79km and provides an important link in Florida’s Panhandle area, as it connects with Route 98.
    Read More

Highlighted Content