Safety barriers under changing operating conditions–An analysis of impact parameters in Germany

Vehicle restraint systems and especially the impact of a collision on such are subject to various influencing variables. These systems are tested and approved through vehicle impact tests to ensure that safety standards are met as well as to ensure comparability amongst the systems. However, differences in the objectives of the standard DIN EN 1317 and the behaviour in practice have become apparent. There is the standard DIN EN 1317 which defines the impact tests on testing grounds. Nevertheless, there are a number of influencing parameters such as developments in the vehicle fleet over the last years, available safety barriers, including their construction types and the impact itself. Previous research indicates that there could be a gap between these parameters. This research uses an empirical analysis based on chiefly quantitative data sources to evaluate the differences between these parameters. It leads to a partial divergence between static requirements of the standard and the actual road traffic conditions. Additionaly, the differences are developed within a vulnerability analysis and for the purpose of comparison, the advantages as well as the disadvantages of the standardized impact tests are discussed in this paper. As a result, a parameter based suggestion for a reevaluation of impact tests for safety barriers, according to the standard DIN EN 1317, is advisable due to the changing road traffic on the current stock and new barrier systems to be built. This research strives to illuminate the trend for new investigation methods such as the finite element method (FEM) simulation. It gives an outlook to further research needs in safety barriers, principally in the observation of the future development of the impact parameters. At the same time, impulses and potential for improvement can be identified for the future documentation of vehicle impacts on these barriers.