Turner, Jarrod (2024) An Assessment of Post and Rail Safety Barriers Effectiveness. [USQ Project]
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Abstract
This project focuses on the evaluation of post and rail safety barriers used across various road environments with emphasis on their effectiveness in reducing crash severity and associated costs. Safety barrier types including Ezy-Guard W-Beam, Thrie Beam and other roadside barriers are essential in roadside safety. Their main purpose is to prevent vehicles from veering off the roadway, colliding with roadside hazards, or crossing into oncoming traffic. The research to date surrounding safety barriers focuses on installation techniques/types rather than their effectiveness in reducing crash injury severities. This report draws on a comprehensive analysis of Infrastructure Risk Rating (IRR) scores compared with crash data, and the Benefit-Cost Ratios (BCRs) from multiple sites to determine the impact of these barriers on road safety and their economic viability using an equation supplied by Austroads Guide to Road Safety, Part 2 (Austroads, 2024).
Data was collected from six sites all with varying road geometries, hazards, and roadside conditions. The IRR scores were used to assess the relative risk with and without the safety barriers installed. Whilst the BCRs provided a measure of the financial return on the investment from safety barrier installations. The analysis demonstrated that safety barriers significantly reduced crash severity for all sites, particularly in high-risk areas with complex road alignments and hazardous roadside features. For example, in Site 2 analysis, the safety barrier demonstrated a BCR of 0.37, thus indicating financial benefits from crash prevention. Site 4 displayed a high BCR of 35.68, further affirming the cost-effectiveness of barrier installations in mitigating the severity of crashes.
In conclusion, safety barriers played a critical role in enhancing the road safety of all sites by reducing both the frequency and severity of crashes. The findings from this report support the use and further development of safety barriers, particularly in high-risk areas. The results from this report emphasise the need for ongoing research to refine barrier designs ensuring they meet future road safety standards and provide maximum economic and safety benefits across all roadside environments.
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| Item Type: | USQ Project |
|---|---|
| Item Status: | Live Archive |
| Faculty/School / Institute/Centre: | Current – Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences - School of Engineering (1 Jan 2022 -) |
| Supervisors: | Somasundaraswaran, Soma |
| Qualification: | Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Civil) |
| Date Deposited: | 18 Mar 2026 05:06 |
| Last Modified: | 18 Mar 2026 05:06 |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | safety barriers; crash severity; Infrastructure Risk Rating (IRR) |
| URI: | https://sear.unisq.edu.au/id/eprint/53169 |
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