“You cannot test for every scenario that’s out there.”
That was the message from Passive Safety UK’s Andrew Pledge as hundreds of road safety professionals gathered in Suffolk for the CRASH demonstration event yesterday (9 July) where live vehicle impacts and practical demonstrations were used to show how safety products perform in real-world conditions rather than simply laboratory tests.
Speaking to Highways Voices at the event, Mr Pledge explained that the day has evolved from a focus on passive safety into a showcase for the wider Safe System approach to road safety.
“We put on this event because we want people to witness real-world scenarios,” he said. “There’s a lot of testing done on a lot of products, and that has to be done, and it’s all right and proper, but it doesn’t give you the complete picture. You cannot test for every scenario that’s out there.”
He said the event now brings together organisations representing all five pillars of the Safe System, from safer roads and roadsides to safer vehicles, safer speeds and post-crash response, allowing designers, engineers, emergency services and road operators to learn from one another.
One of the day’s headline demonstrations challenged assumptions about roadside restraint systems by using a heavier vehicle travelling at a steeper impact angle than standard testing normally requires. Mr Pledge explained that while most barriers are tested for shallow-angle impacts, real-world collisions can be very different, particularly with today’s heavier vehicles.
“The modern vehicle fleet is very different from the vehicle fleet of 20 or 25 years ago,” he said. “They’re heavier… all sorts of things that we can demonstrate, give people the chance to look at, and maybe influence future standard making.”
Exhibitors showcased a wide range of products designed to reduce the consequences of collisions or make roadworks safer and a number spoke to Highways Voices for next week’s podcast.
Mallatite and Scandanavian manufacturer Jerol demonstrated composite passive-safe signposts designed either to break away cleanly (pictured) or absorb energy depending on the roadside environment, while Multipatcher showed its modular BAAVA barrier system, designed so a single operative can assemble it, and easily and quickly reposition it when and if access is required.
AS Safety & Technology exhibited its inflatable “InflataShield” incursion deterrent, developed from motorsport safety barriers. The company said recent crash testing showed the system remained intact after impacts at both 30mph and 57mph while causing no damage to the test vehicle.
Westcotec highlighted how passive-safe mounting systems complement intelligent roadside equipment, alongside remotely connected solar-powered warning signs that can be programmed without engineers needing to visit the roadside. Hedro reinforced the continuing case for passive-safe poles, arguing that greater awareness is still needed despite more than two decades of availability.
Elsewhere, Innovative Road Safety Solutions showcased its CoverME range of pole-mounted systems that allow temporary traffic signals and signs to be covered without working at height, alongside a brilliant idea -recycled-plastic road signs incorporating bee habitats (Highways News doesn’t often editorialise, but it really was a blindingly simple way of helping the environment!)
The CRASH event brought together manufacturers, local authorities, National Highways, emergency services, road safety organisations and engineers for a day of demonstrations and networking focused on improving safety for both road users and those working on the network.
The special edition of the Highways Voices podcast, together with videos of the live demonstrations and product showcases, will be published next Wednesday.
(Picture – Highways News)
