Highway Care, the pioneer of innovative solutions for a safer future, has introduced The BOSS to the UK highways industry; a lightweight and rapid deployment anti-incursion device.

Manufactured by Highway Care’s partner, Stuer-Egghe, The BOSS has been developed with input from Highway Care’s technical team, tailoring the solution to meet the safety challenges for both road workers and road users. The BOSS is designed to prevent vehicles up to 7.5t travelling at speeds of up to 48kph (30mph) from entering the works area while reducing impact to the vehicle occupants and protecting workers or members of the public from the trajectories associated with collisions. The BOSS is a compact and lightweight, surface-mounted hostile vehicle mitigation (HVM) system, which allows ease of transportation to site in the boot of a car, and rapid installation without the need for any specialist tools.

Highway Care’s Commercial Director, Ben Duncker, explains: “Vehicle incursions into the work area is a serious problem that is putting the lives of road workers at risk on a daily basis. Figures from National Highways indicated that incursions on the strategic road network during the first five months of 2023 exceeded those recorded for the entire 12 months of 2022. This is a worrying trend and the real figure, if local road incursions were to be included, would be higher still.

“While the industry agrees with National Highways’ statement that ‘safety is an absolute priority’, the challenge has been developing a safety product that would be a viable, practical solution for contractors, while reducing the risk of harm to vehicle occupants and preventing damage to the road surface when an incursion is stopped.

“The BOSS was developed with all these challenges in mind, and we believe it has successfully addressed them with a system that is fast and simple to deploy on both national infrastructure and local roads.”

The name BOSS stands for Barrier On Strong Spikes, and the system is made up of a robust mat with the eponymous strong spikes pointing outwards, which brings the vehicle to a controlled stop, these spikes are covered by 3D printed covers to protect pedestrians from injury while passing by. Unlike police stinger devices, which only puncture the tyres, allowing the vehicle to continue moving, The BOSS works by also inhibiting the vehicle’s wheels and axle, utilising the spikes to capture the wheels and prevent them from turning.

Each complete three-metre tested array consists of six strips with revolutionary stopping technology, two brandable tent covers, eight simple locking mechanisms, and three coupling plates. The 8kg components fit together to create a system with a total weight of less than 70kg and two storage compartments for easy transportation are also provided with the system. This means a single operative can install the protection in just a few minutes, transport it to site easily, and move or reconfigure The BOSS as the work area changes.

The BOSS is suitable for installation in a variety of configurations, including a pedestrian permeable layout that enables road workers to enter and exit the work area on foot, while maintaining protection from incursions.

The product has been tested and certified to the new ISO 22343-1 standard for HVM systems introduced in March, proving its safety and effectiveness in bringing a vehicle to a safe controlled stop, without damaging the road or resulting in debris that could become a secondary hazard.

The Highway Care team will be showcasing The BOSS at a number of events throughout the summer and autumn, including the LCRIG Innovation Festival in July and Highways UK in October. The company is also inviting contractors to view the product, and its business development team will be taking the system out on customer visits.

Ben Duncker adds: “Vehicle incursions are a potentially life-threatening risk for road workers, which needs to be mitigated. With The BOSS, we are leveraging Highway Care’s security expertise in Hostile Vehicle Mitigation with a solution that overcomes some of the issues that have limited the uptake of other incursion protection methods in the past.

“We are excited to trial the system with customers and get their feedback as we continue to work collaboratively across the sector.”

PIC-HIGHWAY CARE