Road safety remains a transportation authority, contractor, and roadway maintenance issue. The hazards of high-speed traffic, construction, and roadside conditions can lead to accidents that can occur at any moment, sometimes with tragic consequences.
Today’s highway protection systems are engineered to minimize the impact of crashes and to make highway travel safer, especially near highway exits, highway work zones, and highway median barriers.
Impact attenuation systems are one of the most effective safety systems. Understanding the benefits of these systems assists in choosing the right type for improved road safety and traffic management.
Minimizing the Severity of Vehicle Crashes
The most significant advantages of attenuation systems are that they mitigate crash severity. At high speeds, collisions can result in severe injuries, as well as significant damage to the vehicles involved.
The purpose of crash cushion attenuators is to minimize and control the energy of a collision in a controlled way. Crash cushion attenuators slow or redirect vehicles in a crash, which lessens the force transferred to vehicle occupants during a crash. This significantly increases the rate of survival and prevents serious injuries.
Enhanced Protection in Construction Areas
The construction zone is one of the most hazardous places along roadways. This is because traffic is rerouted, temporary barriers are installed, lanes are constricted, and heavy equipment is used, all of which can create the potential for collisions.
Portable and temporary attenuation systems are an added layer of protection to ensure the safety of motorists and roadside workers. These systems are used to protect construction workers from rogue vehicles and to lessen the impact of crashes involving vehicles.
Improved Driver and Worker Safety
Roadway safety equipment is not just about the safety of the infrastructure. The attenuation systems provide safer conditions for crews working around active traffic while on the highway, particularly for maintenance, emergency, utility, and construction crews.
Distracted or speeding drivers are a constant threat to workers who work near busy roads. Crash cushion attenuator systems minimize direct impacts, which helps to decrease the risk of injury on the job and enhance overall safety.
Minimized Damage to Infrastructure
Damage to roadway structures and public infrastructure can be costly from vehicle collisions. Toll booths, traffic control equipment, concrete barriers, bridge supports, and lighting poles are susceptible to high crash impacts.
Accident damage to fixed structures can be reduced with the use of attenuation systems. These can absorb a significant portion of the energy of the collision, reducing the structural damage to the road and the costs of repairs in the long term for the transportation agency.
When infrastructure is damaged, it is necessary to close the lanes, delay traffic, and incur considerable expenses for repairing the infrastructure. Impact systems also help to limit disruption of roadway and public transportation operations.
Adaptability for Various Types of Roadways
There are many different designs of modern attenuation systems for different roadway conditions. Some of these systems are permanent and placed on highways and along bridge approaches, and others are portable units used for temporary construction areas.
According to traffic speed, installation space, roadway layout, and anticipated collision hazards, professionals can select systems that best meet the needs. Flexible safety systems enhance safety for all urban roads and freeways, intersections, and work zones.
