The various types and practical qualities of deformable and non-deformable safety barriers are listed. The main conclusions drawn from tests based on several safety criteria are : various types of deformable barriers (steel guide rails) perform well when hit by cars; various types of deformable barriers perform satisfactorily when hit by rather heavy vehicles; non-deformable (concrete) barriers give reasonable protection to cars only when the impact conditions are not too severe; rigid barriers perform better than easy deformable ones when hit by heavy vehicles; the way non-deformable barriers perform seems to be more dependent on weather conditions than is the case with deformable barriers. Suggestions about further research are made and the need for more suitable safety criteria is emphasised.
Abstract