This paper discusses the safety of plastic water-filled safety barrier systems and delineators. Of key concern are issues relating to non-certified delineators being used in temporary road works zones either as safety barriers or as delineators. Most of the delineators used in Australia do not comply with either AS/NZS 3845 Road Safety Barrier Systems or AS 1742 Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices. Some examples are presented of unsafe practices by road contractors, and situations in which the use of water-filled delineators presents a serious hazard to road users. The results of a development program in which a water-filled road safety barrier was modelled and tested at Monash University are also presented. The authors found that tyre interaction and barrier kinematics during impact were critical to good redirection. Crash test results also showed that the computer model could predict barrier deflection, vehicle behaviour and exit angle with reasonable accuracy so long as first contact interaction between the tyre and vehicle-panels are properly modelled. The paper concludes with some discussion regarding compliance with the present codes and issues relating to legal liability in regard to systems being used in Australia. (a).
Samenvatting