Maintenance Culture On Road Crash Barriers Are Road Safety Measure

Road accidents have become one of the leading causes of deaths in Ghana; though the efforts by the government and other stakeholders to reduce road accidents have been coupled with road safety awareness campaign and education.

According to the Road Safety Management Services Limited, The first major cause of road accidents in Ghana is poor driving skills, Drivers talking on mobile phones while driving, Gross indiscipline, broken down vehicles on our roads, driving on worn or second hand tyres, Over-loading of vehicles, Fatigue driving by long-distance drivers, drunk driving, Non-existent road markings and signs, and lack of maintenance culture of road crash barriers.

One way of safely reducing the rate of damages in road motor accidents and redirecting an errant vehicle away from affecting innocent vehicles, people around and other properties is the use of roadside or median barriers as a form of safety measures.

The most commonly used of road crash barriers are made from either concrete or steel and in recent times, rubber. In the case of concrete barriers they are usually fixed such that when cars struck, can reduced the acceleration of the accident and hence they are commonly referred to as rigid concrete barriers.

Steel tubing are also normally fixed to the top of concrete barriers to provide extra height in other circumstances to prevent vehicles with a high center of gravity (COG), e.g. trucks, from rolling over the top of them for motor accident extensions for example preventing vehicles from rolling entering the opposite lane.

Vehicles that cross into the opposite lane may cause serious traffic accidents; therefore, both steel and concrete barriers must be able to prevent such vehicles from entering the opposite lane to prevent occupant from excessive injury and vehicle destruction.

One thing I have realized from other research works is that experimental impact tests have been established in several studies that have used full-scale vehicle tests to test the ability of both steel and concrete barriers to withstand impact loads exerted on them by collisions with vehicles has a higher safety connotations.

This is because road crash barriers are safety measures on road accident and other safety benefits, it’s always imperative to be characterized by consistent maintenance culture in Ghana to improve upon our road safety.

Due to the safety nature of the barriers, many important factors are considered when choosing the height of both barriers in order to serve the purpose.

The first is the place where the barrier will be used. In my discovery from reliable sources, concrete barrier is used in work zones and intersections, wherein driver sight distance is clear. Low concrete barriers (510 mm high) can be successfully used in urban streets or in residential and commercial areas where the speed of vehicles is limited. By contrast, high concrete barriers (813 mm high) are commonly used in main roads and highway roads. Along expressways, freeways, bridges, bridges across rivers, curved highway roads (particularly on bridges), and areas with limited sight distance, concrete barriers should be over 1067 mm high.

The second factor is vehicle weight where passenger cars are allowed to pass on city centers, and thus, low concrete barriers should be used. On highways where both smaller vehicles and 2000 kg pickup trucks pass, concrete barriers with medium height (813 mm) should be used. To contain and redirect the crash of an 8000 kg truck or a 36000 kg tractor trailer, a concrete barrier must have a minimum height of 1067 mm. Tall concrete barriers are commonly effective for all types of vehicles and speed.

Kurt Vonnegut’s said something which is very intriguing in maintenance culture and I quote, “another flaw in the human character is that everybody wants to build and nobody wants to do maintenance. Taking into consideration of the roles at which these barriers play on our roles, it is indispensable in terms of road safety and therefore, needs serious attention in re-fixing, replacing and expansion of road crash barriers especially the highways within the entire country.

I cannot deny the fact that the practice of rehabilitation and maintenance of these road crash barriers within Kumasi, Takoradi, Tema, Accra and other urban centers within the country is nothing to write home about in a sense that after the road has been constructed, you could see the existence of some of these road crash barriers beautifully positioned in the important advantage points but with a few years, you will later see them laying alongside the road serving different negative function instead of positive.

Though some potholes that developed after road construction are sometimes repaired but the damaged road crash barriers especially the steel ones are always neglected and forgetting that they can hold up to most vehicle damage in low- or high-impact crashes, offering reliable protection for various types of property and pedestrians on the accidents premises.

I sported one on the winneba Takoradi road hundred meters from that place to Yamoransa where several fanste kenke are sold when driving from Mankessim right there and another one also at a junction at Cape Coast when you are driving from Ewim Nurses Quarters turning left to Sonturk super market towards the multimillion new Kotokuraba main Markets at Cape Coast.

I can clearly understand that the damages of these steel road crash barriers located in these areas mentioned at least was due to the defense of lives and properties from a previous serious accidents that occurred at that particular places but instead of the authorities to restore them back to save guard future similar incidents, it has been neglected not able to even mention the ones in Accra, Kumasi, Tema, Aflao, among others.

In this development, many question come to mind like who is responsible to maintaining, replacing, fixing, expanding this barriers? Is it not Ghana High Way Authority one will answer? In a sense that due to reckless driving have rendered some of these barriers lied on ground and some scrap dealers has taken away the damage steel barriers. Another important question is are they doing their maintenance works regularly around Teteh Quarshie Interchange, George Walker Bush Highway, the new Kwame Nkrumah Cycle Interchange, Kasoa Interchange to maintain multi million dollars project that has been constructed around the country to benefit us and our future generational?

We should not also forget that road crash barriers are installable in many different types of locations apart from the usual ones on our roads. They are commonly installed around the perimeter, parking lots, or entrances and exits of locations such as: Schools, Financial institutions, Shopping Centers, Government buildings among others in which both government and individuals should expand, rehabilitate and maintained them for good safety. These reminds me of casualties that occurred at the road side at Gomoa Aboso in the central region where a new super market located at the market junction behind the NADA Spot when a car enters the store and after that incident then I saw some concrete road crash barriers has been constructed there as safety measure to curb future similar occurrences.

It is unfortunate to note that sometimes unless we prompted the authorities before they engage in any custom of maintenance of some of our valuable structures like Adomi Bridge for example Kudos to our formal president to rehabilitate Adomi Bridge including all road crash barriers around. This is because the importance of the Adomi Bridge cannot be misjudged at all. However, the safety of passengers and other users of the bridge should be of serious concern to all and sundry.

What I know is that repair works and rehabilitation help government to redirect available funds to other economic sectors to solve the growing economic recession the country is facing. Preventable damage caused to infrastructure by individuals especially through careless driving and subsequent repairs of such road crash damage barriers is also a financial loss to both the individual and the government in which a wary should be taken to preserve state resource for other development through positive attitudinal change .

In conclusion, Ghana High Way Authority, National Road Safety Commission and other stakeholders should assess crash barriers on all trunk roads and make the barriers long enough where necessary and see to it that regular maintenance has been done to help safeguard and curb the serious damages of vehicles, person and properties on our roads accidents.

By: Abraham Frank Eshun
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