US company's crash barriers impress police

By Dong Zhen  |   2008-12-19  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

CITY traffic police and highway managers say they want to work with a United States company to introduce extra-protective crash barriers on local roads.

The barriers contain rubber padding and can be fitted to existing crash barriers and guardrails on expressways to reduce fatalities, said police.

The amount of rubber padding can be changed based on the traffic environment. A line of 10 rubber pads can protect drivers and passengers from major injuries in a crash at speeds of up to 110 kilometers per hour, according to maker Barrier Systems.

The company president drove at 70km/h into a set of crash barriers in Shanghai yesterday to demonstrate their effectiveness. The first four pads broke but the last six were only dented.

The car was left with a leaking water tank but its engine remained intact.

Police said they were impressed by the demonstration and would like to see the barriers introduced on local expressways.

Seventeen people were killed and 41 injured in 25 single-car crashes on the city's highways and express roads in the first 11 months the year. Cushioned crash barriers could help reduce fatalities by between 46 and 84 percent, police said.

Last year, dozens of water-filled tanks were installed at on-ramps after an increase in serious single-car crashes.

Each set of tanks costs about 2,000 yuan (US$292). The US barriers are more expensive, though an exact price has not been announced.

"We will suggest to the highway authority that it introduce these products, maybe starting with a small number on local high-speed roads," said Guan Bao, a deputy secretary of the Shanghai Road Safety Association and a traffic police officer.