Application of Vehicle Restraint Systems (VRSs) in the State of Qatar: A Case Study from Northern Roads
Abstract
Recent developments within Infrastructural Road Safety and especially in the Sector of
Vehicle Restraint Systems (VRS) have enabled Transport Authorities to significantly
reduce road fatalities and severe injuries. Predominantly, two authorities have established
leading guidelines for VRS installation and maintenance, - the European Union (EU)
and the United States. The guidelines for the State of Qatar are based on these two
sources. This technical paper briefly reviews the aforementioned guidelines, highlights
the additional items in the EU guidelines, and explains the evolution of the State of Qatar
guidelines accordingly. Moreover, this paper explains the application of VRS guidelines
to the road network of the State of Qatar by presenting evidences from a recent site visit
to the highways/expressways in the Northern Part of the Qatari Road Network. The
outcomes of the site visit mainly highlight the typical steel VRS applied alongside the
road (lateral as well as in central reserve, median), crash cushions, and various terminal
systems. The paper is aiming to support designers, planners, auditors, contractors and
installers to improve road safety from the VRS point of view.
Collections
- Theme 2: Materials and Transportation Engineering [43 items ]
- Transportation [85 items ]