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P (.1)AD SAFETY El Report says concrete walls
Page 8
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could cut crossover deaths
By Chris Tindall FATAL ACCIDENTS that occur when a lorry crosses the central reservation could be avoided if steel barriers were replaced with concrete walls, claims a report commissioned by the Government.
The study into HGV 'crossover' incidents by Transport Research Laboratory found that nearly a quarter of fatal accidents could have been prevented by installing a -high containment safety fence or barrier".
It examined 39 fatal HGV crossover accidents that took place on major roads in Great Britain, and discovered that the existing barriers could not withstand the lateral impact energy from the trucks. In nine cases, the accident could have been avoided if a concrete structure had been there.
HGV crossover accidents are rare. Between 1985 and 1998, there were an average of 56 per year, compared with 120,302 reported vehicle accidents. Out of 166,070 road casualties, 120 resulted from lorries breaking through the central reservation.
However, the Highways Agency, which commissioned the study, says it takes the results seriously enough to begin replacing steel barriers with concrete structures. A spokeswoman says: "The steel barriers are still up to standard, but we will replace them eventually. We couldn't replace them along the whole length of the network; it would be too costly.
"The installation of concrete barriers in the central reservation reduces the likelihood of crossover 4 incidents significantly."