Why Guardrails Are Needed on Highways?

Guardrails have become a common sight alongside highways and mountain passes, but few people may have considered the importance of installing them. In this article, we will take a closer look at the reasons for installing traffic barrier.

Prevent Crossing from One Highway to Another

When placed in a central grassy area between two relatively flowing highways, the guardrail is called a central guardrail. Unlike those found on the side of the road where only beams are attached to one side of a wooden or steel post, these posts have steel beams on both sides. This is to prevent impacts from both sides.

Preventing Vehicle Collisions with Dangerous Objects

The risk of collision with inexcusable objects is high when the motorist loses control of the vehicle and the vehicle veers off the safe road. If the vehicle collides with an object such as a tree, wall, culvert entrance or pole, the full impact of the collision will be borne by the vehicle and its occupants. Depending on the speed of travel, the impact may be sufficient to damage the vehicle to the point where occupants are seriously injured or killed as a result of their injuries. To reduce the risk, it is necessary to install a guardrail between the edge of the road and any dangerous objects.
In this case, the barrier is used to prevent collisions with dangerous objects. Although collisions with barriers can also cause significant damage to the vehicle, in most cases the damage is less than when the vehicle collides with a dangerous object. The barrier absorbs the impact energy of a collision, absorbing and distributing it throughout the system, thereby reducing the impact forces on the vehicle and its occupants. It has the potential to save lives.

Prevents Vehicle Rollover

Vehicles with high ground clearance traveling at high speeds on national roads or highways are at risk of tipping over when they hit a guardrail. To prevent this, taller posts are installed. These posts give way just enough to absorb some of the kinetic impact energy generated by the collision while ensuring sufficient deflection to prevent the vehicle from tipping over. The impact energy is distributed throughout the system, thereby reducing the impact on the vehicle and its occupants. Soaring can be prevented by higher posts and mounts and larger blocks.

Deflecting the Vehicle

Depending on a number of factors such as the angle, speed and size of the vehicle, guardrails can serve different purposes. If the impact is not too great and occurs at a small angle, it can deflect the vehicle back onto the road. The guardrail will also slow it down until it comes to a complete stop. This can prevent a vehicle from going into a particularly dangerous area. These can be anything from steep drops, large objects such as trees or utility poles, to other lanes in the opposite direction. Often, the crossbeams on guardrails are bent into specific shapes to maximize energy absorption and minimize vehicle damage. The most common of these shapes is the W-shaped beam, which resembles the upside-down letter W.

Prevent Lost Vehicles from Going Down Steep Slopes or over Cliffs

Mountain passes are particularly dangerous travel paths. Wind, sharp turns, falling rocks and little room to make mistakes all add to the danger. Just a slight deviation from the road can cause a vehicle to go over the side of a cliff. Guardrails have been installed to make the passes safer. If a vehicle veers off the track and hits the barrier at a slight angle, the friction created by the metal of the vehicle and the steel of the barrier helps to slow the vehicle down. At the same time, the vehicle is redirected back to its original path. Given the importance of the barrier in this situation, it is important to ensure that the correct distance between the posts and the correct height of the barrier are properly installed.

Injury Reduction

If a car or truck hits the guardrail hard enough to get through, the guardrail will serve to reduce the damage and injuries caused to drivers and passengers. One way it achieves this is by slowing the vehicle down enough to make any subsequent impact less severe. The guardrail also ensures that any car it comes into contact with does not tip over. Even if it is hit at the end (where the guardrail begins), engineers have designed it to slide away from the forces of the vehicle until it comes to a safe stop. This is a similar principle that the front of the car follows. Both the front side of the vehicle and the guardrail are crumpled to some degree to reduce the severity of a head-on collision with the vehicle's occupants.

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