Safety barriers are designed to redirect errant vehicles and shield roadside hazards.
In this example from Sunshine, Victoria, the vehicle strikes the signal pole before reaching the barrier. The barrier is there to protect road users from the larger gantry support behind it, but if it had also been able to shield the signal pole, the impact severity may have been lower.
There are often competing design constraints, but it’s a useful reminder to consider not just the barrier, but the hazards around it.
Interestingly, when undertaking an iRAP/AusRAP assessment, if there are poles in front of a barrier the poles become the dominant roadside factor coded for that 100m section – not the barrier.
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