Choosing The Right Crash Barrier

Ujjal Kumar
3 min readJan 12, 2022

--

With the exponential growth in vehicular traffic on the road, pedestrians are exposed to accidents. The installation of crash barriers significantly reduces road accidents. Crash barriers are a visual deterrent that informs the driver about diversions and blind turns. The guard rail like W beam crash barriers are installed in highways, bridges, and medians helps to keep the driver on the right path.

Types Of Crash Barrier :

1. Rigid Barriers

Rigid barriers are made of concrete or metal. These barriers are used in medians or bridges where the width is low. These barriers do not help in decreasing the severity of accidents especially when the speed is high. Due to this rigid barriers are not recommended for hilly slopes.

2. Semi-Rigid Barriers

Semi-rigid barriers are made of steel. These barriers are either thrie beam barriers with triple-weave or W beam barriers. These crash barriers can withstand high impact without the need for repair. These barriers can absorb high-energy deflections and suitable or vehicles with a high center of gravity. These barriers are most appropriate for bridges and hilly roads as the modified W beam crash barrier takes less space and these are available for deflection.

3. Flexible Barriers

These barriers are made of plastic in the shape of orange cones. These are portable and installed depending on the traffic needs.

4. Workzone Barriers

Workzone barriers help in informing the employees about the portion where maintenance work is going on. It demarcates the area to ensure smooth road traffic.

5. Roadside Barrier

These barriers are installed on the end of the road like guardrails which help to protect from roadside obstacles. It is installed on bridges and on the valley side of the hilly road to protect from falling on water bodies or steep slopes.

6. Median Barriers

The median barriers are mostly W beam crash barriers as it has high shock-resistant capacity. The median barriers are installed to prevent the vehicle from crashing on other vehicles on the other side of the road. The single-sided crash barrier with a W beam is installed on the medians.

Things To Consider To Choose Metal Beam Crash Barrier :

Whether you are installing a crash barrier inside the workplace on-road here are a few things you must consider before choosing one.

Location

Every barrier is designed with different material that makes it a suitable choice for highways, bridges workplaces, or construction sites. The barriers which are installed to enhance road safety should withstand extreme weather changes do not need replacement after collision with a high-speed vehicle.

Easy-To-Install

The steel barrier or the semi-rigid barrier is easy to install. These barriers reduce the cost of labor for installation significantly. Moreover, steel barriers like W-beam crash barrier can withstand higher impact during the collision and do not deflect the vehicle on the way of the ongoing traffic.

Maintenance

The barriers can withstand wear and tear however, sometimes they do require maintenance. Selecting a barrier that is not prone to damage can reduce the requirement of road maintenance.

Conclusion

Choosing a crash barrier of the appropriate type can reduce accidents on hilly roads, blind turns, or high embankments. Consulting supplier which provides superior quality material for the installation of crash barrier can improve street security.

--

--

Ujjal Kumar
Ujjal Kumar

Written by Ujjal Kumar

I am a blogger by passion and used to work in the steel industry for about 10 years. I have my best experience in this field.