66 | INFRASTRUCTURE
Cushion the blow Fitting a consistently safe crash cushion into a tight road space, such as a tunnel, is an engineering challenge. What is required is a solution that is compact and easy to install, but still achieves the highest levels of safety Words | Snoline, Italy
Approximately 30% of fatal accidents on the road involve single-vehicle, non-pedestrian accidents in which a car runs off the road and impacts with a rigid roadside object. Now, Snoline by Lindsay has a new range of redirective crash cushions, the Tau Tube family, available in various configurations, covering applications from narrow to wide, and entirely made in Italy. This new crash cushion family is available from a 50km/h (31mph) up to a 110km/h (68mph) configuration. The complete range received the CE marking in 2014. The system is fitted with a rear support that
Intertraffic World | Annual Showcase 2018
transfers longitudinal forces to the ground and so it is independent from either hazards or guardrails, and therefore behaves in an ideal way – as a free-standing system. The CE mark is a universally accepted symbol of conformity to European Directives and can only be applied to a crash cushion once the manufacturer has undergone a rigorous process of checks and inspections from an approved body. As part of the CE certification process, the manufacturer must produce a comprehensive technical file for the product, which must include the testing details and reports. The Tau Tube system
easily passed all the crash tests required of it at an official testing facility.
Easy installation The Tau Tube family is very easy to install because Snoline by Lindsay is able to supply the barriers pre-assembled. As a result, the installation process is limited to anchoring of the crash cushion to the ground. This improves installer safety and reduces installation time; in fact, in normal conditions, a system can be laid in just one hour, by three people. Moreover, the Tau Tube family doesn’t need any maintenance,