The road guardrails for sale from us are often called Armco barriers, W-beam safety systems, and highway or median boundaries. These names are indicative of the functions of the types of guardrails that we offer for sale. However, a short discussion about their functions will give you insight as to why they are essential on so many South African roads.
Preventing Collisions with Unforgiving Objects
Unyielding obstacles next to the road such as trees, man-made structures, or rock faces are hazardous and colliding with them can be fatal, as the vehicle and its occupants absorb all the impact energy. To prevent straying vehicles from hitting these objects, guardrails are installed. Engineers consider the need for such barriers and if there is enough clearance between the safe travel path and obstacles for a straying motorist to make a correction and safely return to the road without hitting anything, it might be better not to install any of the guardrails currently for sale. If an impact with an object is likely if the vehicle strays from the road and the likelihood of severe damage and injury is higher than if the vehicle collides with the barrier, the engineers consider which of the guardrails for sale are best suited for that road section. The height of the vehicles using the road, their likelihood of leaving the safe travel path, their speed of travel, the clearance behind the barrier, and other factors are considered before considering any of the guardrails for sale for the applicable scenario.
Redirecting an Errant Vehicle Back onto The Safe Travel Path
One of the functions of the guardrails we have for sale is to safely redirect a straying vehicle back to its original path or to at least redirect it away from the barrier and the danger behind it. This is important, as motorists not paying attention to the road can easily veer to the side without noticing. Rather than going down a steep slope, the vehicle strikes the barrier. The barrier deflects, causing the vehicle to return to its original path. The friction between the impacting vehicle and barrier causes the vehicle to slow down, giving the motorist the time to make the necessary correction.
Preventing Breakthrough
The barrier must be strong enough to prevent a speeding vehicle from breaking through it. For instance, if the barrier on a mountainside cannot prevent the straying vehicle from breaking through, it is inadequate. Therefore, guardrails are made from W-beam steel panels attached to wooden or steel posts. The entire system works together to contain the vehicle and prevent it from breaking through. The system absorbs and disperses the kinetic energy throughout the length of the barrier, reducing the impact of the collision on the vehicle and its occupants. Because the panels are made from bendable steel, breakthrough can be prevented. The height of the barrier is equally important to prevent tall vehicles from going over it or becoming airborne upon impact.
Preventing Median Clustering
Median clustering is when motorists drive too close to the centre white line that separates two opposing lanes, increasing the risk of head-on collisions considerably. Motorists tend to do this when they are not sure where the road surface ends on their left side or are afraid to keep too far left because of risks such as going down steep slopes or over cliffs. The presence of barriers helps to give motorists the necessary confidence to keep well to the left, especially at night when the risk of veering from the safe travel path increases because of poor visibility. The guardrails we have for sale have reflectors on to make them highly visible, even at night.
Preventing Vehicles on Highways from Crossing Over into the Opposite Carriageway
U-turns are one of the major causes of fatal accidents, even more so when vehicles on highways turn from the fast lane of one carriageway into the fast lane of oncoming traffic on the opposite carriageway. To prevent this, median barriers are installed on the island between the carriageways, saving many lives. The median road guardrails are often installed to prevent accidents from one carriageway spilling over into oncoming traffic from the opposite side.
Get in touch for pricing and specification information on the road guardrails that we offer for sale.