Thousands of South Africans lose their lives on South African roads each year. Apart from road conditions, reckless driving, driving under the influence of alcohol, operating vehicles without being properly trained, inexperience, and speeding are major contributors to the high accident rates. Road safety products, as available from us, play important roles in reducing the number of incidents, and the rate of injury severity. The products are thus essential for the improvement of safety conditions for motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians.

Some of the Road Safety Products already widely on South African roads are briefly discussed below to provide insight as to their functions and the importance of quality.

Road Safety Products

W-beam Guardrails

The W-beam guardrails are installed where the risk of severe accidents and injuries is high should vehicles leave the safety of the allocated path in an uncontrolled manner. The guardrails are designed to operate as complete systems to prevent vehicles from breaking through, driving over the barriers, becoming air-borne, and crashing into unforgiving obstacles such as:

  • Trees, walls, and cliffs.
  • Vehicles from the opposite direction on highways.
  • Traffic or overhead direction boards and poles.

The guardrails also serve to prevent vehicles from going into hazardous areas such as water sources, slopes, ditches, down cliffs, or into rock faces. Furthermore, the barriers serve to reduce median clustering as the guardrails are highly visible at night, giving a clear indication of where the road edge is located. Drivers thus have more confidence in keeping as far left as possible because the risk of leaving the safety of the drive area is significantly reduced. The guardrails consist of the W-beam panels made from galvanised steel or uncoated steel according to client requirements. The timber or steel posts to which the panels are attached, relevant end-terminals, and reflectors make the barriers visible at night.

We supply the guardrails in standard lengths of 3,81 metres and 4 metres, but the barrier panels can be supplied in other lengths. The sections can be curved and are made according to the requirements of the South African standard of SANS 1350:2005. Bull-nose end terminals are available. The timber posts come with bevelled or dome tops and are pre-drilled to make installation easier. We provide D and V type delineators, manufactured from Chromadek for extra durability.

Wire Rope Safety Fences

Also, among our Road Safety Products, the wire rope safety fences are particularly well-suited for installation on roads where space is limited. Just as with the W-beam guardrails, these products are made to improve road safety in South Africa. The wire rope fences take up little horizontal foot space and can thus be installed to separate lanes such as passenger vehicle and cycle or motorcycle, emergency or bus lanes.

The wire rope fences can also be installed on highways to form the median barriers between two opposite flowing highways. These fences are designed according to the requirements of NCHRP 350-TL3, as well as the European CEN standards. The products are made for maximum safety and have undergone impact testing.

Installations are done by our firm in South Africa by our accredited teams. The products are easy to repair because of the slotted pole holes. These holes make it easy to remove and replace damaged posts, thereby reducing risk for maintenance teams and motorists. The fittings are made from grade-316 stainless steel, ensuring durability and protection against environmental factors. The rest of the steel components are made from high quality galvanised steel that meets the requirements of SANS ISO 1461.

Wire rope safety fences also prevent breaking through by straying vehicles, absorb and disperse kinetic impact energy, and provide some redirection to help vehicles return to the safe drive path similar to our W-beam steel guardrails.

Speed Ramps

These road safety products are mostly for usage in South Africa’s urban areas. As the name suggests, the ramps help to reduce the speed at which vehicles travel. Vehicles cannot pass over the ramps at high speed. This makes the devices well-suited for installation in parking lots, estates, at schools and corporate parks where it is essential to drive slowly. With speed limitation, the severity of impact in the case of an accident is lower.

The ramps are made for superb visibility and to carry weight effectively. The safety products are made from durable recycled thermoplastic materials. This already means the ramps are corrosion resistant and can withstand the heat from the sunlight.

We supply the ramps in pairs in colours of yellow and black. The products can also be used at airport terminals and access control points where it is essential to drive at a very low speed.

Dura-Post® Delineators

These delineators are highly visible posts suitable for installation on highways, urban roads, and national roads in South Africa to demarcate lanes for bus services, taxis, and emergency vehicles. The posts can also be used to demarcate cycle paths. Due to their small horizontal footprints, the units are perfect for usage in high-traffic zones.

The posts are made to handle harsh weather conditions and abuse. The posts can withstand several impacts from any angle and quickly return to the upside positions after being hit. Indeed, the delineators have been tested to the effect. They can handle over 200 such collisions with the posts by vehicles travelling at 97 km per hour. Another reason for using the delineators to indicate traffic lanes is the possibility of quick deployment. The units come with sturdy bases, which can be attached to the road surface through quick-set epoxy. We offer these safety products in South Africa in yellow for maximum visibility.

The product posts are made from one piece, adding to their strength. Due to the materials from which constructed, the delineators can withstand temperatures as low as -60° C without breakage. Although it certainly doesn’t get that cold in South Africa, the road safety products can thus work well even during the occasional winter snow periods in the Western and Eastern Cape areas.

Water-Filled Barriers

The brightly coloured barriers serve to direct vehicles away from hazards such as construction, open holes and cables. The units can be interlocked to form a long barrier. The barriers are filled with water to keep them from being blown away in strong winds or being moved. When empty, the units are lightweight enough for quick deployment without the need for special machinery.

The road safety products are made from UV stabilised polypropylene, giving them superb durability in the harsh sunlight. The plastic materials ensure low maintenance as the products cannot rust or decay because of exposure to rain. The yellow colour helps to improve visibility. We also provide the monster barriers in South Africa for use at mining and dam building or quarry sites where large vehicles operate.

Road Cones

Traffic pylons are widely used in South Africa. Applications range from traffic redirection at accident scenes to channelling vehicles into a single lane at road construction sites. The cones are made to be highly visible with the bright orange being the most popular. Reflective strips can be added to improve visibility at night.

As the name suggests, the safety products are cone-shaped with hollow interiors for easier stacking. This makes transportation easier as less space is required when the cones are stacked. The hollow design also makes them lightweight enough for easy deployment. However, to prevent the cones from being blown over by winds, the bases are sturdy and heavier. With the monster-size yellow types, it is possible to attach the cones to the surface.

The cones are made from PVC for maximum durability, which is further increased through the use of UV resistant colours to reduce fading.

Delineators

We also supply the standard black and yellow delineators, now an already familiar sight at road construction projects in South Africa. These road safety products are made for flexibility. When hit by a vehicle, the vertical blade simply bends backwards and returns to the upright position directly after. It can be kept in place with sandbags and is easy to place or remove. The products have a small horizontal footprint, making it possible to place them on the road without taking up too much drive surface. We offer these in three sizes according to client requirements.

The delineators serve to warn motorists of danger zones and are placed to direct the vehicles around the work zones. Quick deployment makes the devices perfect for temporary situations.

Road Safety Products – In Conclusion

We offer many more road safety products for use in South Africa. To this end, you can get more information in our downloadable brochure. Get in touch for quotes or to discuss your particular product needs.