Guardrail: The Often Overlooked Road Protector

When driving on the highway, especially on toll roads or mountainous areas, you must often see guardrails on the side of the road. Guardrails, or road safety fences, are often considered secondary elements in road infrastructure. However, behind its seemingly simple existence, guardrails have a crucial role in driving safety.

1. Main Function of Guardrails
Guardrails are designed to reduce the impact of accidents by holding and directing vehicles that leave the lane. Some of its main functions include:

✔ Holding vehicles from leaving the lane
✔ Preventing vehicles from falling into ravines or entering dangerous areas
✔ Reducing the impact of collisions by absorbing collision energy
✔ Diverting vehicles back to a safe lane

Without guardrails, road accidents can be more fatal, especially on sharp bends, bridges, and hilly roads.

2. Types of Guardrails
Each road has different needs, so the types of guardrails vary. Here are some commonly used types:

W-Beam Guardrail
This wave-shaped guardrail is most commonly found on the side of toll roads. Made of galvanized steel, this type is effective in withstanding vehicle impacts and reducing the severity of accidents.

Thrie-Beam Guardrail
Has a design similar to W-Beam, but with three waves. Usually used in areas that require extra protection, such as roads with heavy traffic or large vehicles.

Cable Barrier Guardrail
Made of flexible steel cables, this guardrail is more often used on highways to reduce the impact of collisions by absorbing the energy of vehicles that hit it.

Concrete Barrier
Made of solid concrete and often found in toll road medians. This type is able to prevent vehicles from crossing the opposite lane, but has lower impact absorption than steel guardrails.

3. Are Guardrails Really Effective?
Many doubt the effectiveness of guardrails, especially in high-speed accidents. However, various studies have shown that guardrails can significantly reduce the fatality rate of accidents.

According to research, properly installed guardrails can:
🔹 Reduce the risk of vehicles overturning
🔹 Prevent vehicles from entering the opposite lane
🔹 Divert the direction of vehicles without causing them to bounce back onto the main road

However, the effectiveness of guardrails also depends on their condition and maintenance. Damaged, bent, or rusty guardrails can reduce their ability to withstand impacts, so they need to be checked and repaired regularly.

4. The Importance of Quality Guardrails in Road Infrastructure
In road construction, the selection of guardrails cannot be arbitrary. The materials used must have high resistance to impacts and extreme weather. Galvanized steel guardrails are widely chosen because they are rust-resistant, have good impact absorption, and are more durable than other materials.

As one of the trusted construction material distributors, PT Intisumber Bajasakti (ISBS) provides high-quality guardrails for various infrastructure projects.

📞 Phone: +6221 66675999
🌐 Website: www.intisumberbajasakti.com

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