Driving a car can be dangerous, especially if you’re distracted. And with so many possible distractions, it’s easy to lose focus when you’re on the road. Whether you’re texting, switching playlists on your phone, or dealing with a carload of kids at the back, all these situations may contribute to a fatal vehicular accident.
Because of this, specific barriers should be in place to prevent road accidents, and one of those is bollards. But you might be wondering how bollards can help reduce the risk of collisions.
Keep reading this article to learn how bollards can prevent car accidents.
What Are Bollards?
Bollards are thick, strong posts placed on trafficked areas, sidewalks, and parking lots to serve as a barrier and keep vehicles where they should be. Although there are no specific rules and regulations about their height, they should be firm and tall enough to ensure the safety of everyone on the road. But in most cases, bollards should be at least two to three feet tall to do their job correctly.
On the other hand, bollards have different types. These can include:
- Decorative Bollards: They’re designed to improve the aesthetic appearance of a particular area and shouldn’t be used along with other types of bollards.
- Fixed Bollards: They’re known as permanent barriers, which are strong enough to withstand severe hits.
- Removable Bollards: Depending on your needs, they can be installed and pulled out of the ground. They’re also not as strong as the fixed ones.
- Automatic Bollards: They’re a combination of fixed and removable bollards since they can be installed on the ground for a longer period, depending on your needs. They can also be pulled out at any time if you require more space.
Indeed, there are many types of bollards to choose from. Hence, if you’re buying some for your business or residential property, you may check out some information from websites like https://imageextra.com.au and other similar platforms.
Ways Bollards Can Help Prevent Car Accidents
Now that you know what bollards are, it’s time to get familiar with some ways they can help avoid car accidents. These can include:
- Improve Driver Awareness
Most good-quality bollards are designed to have a perfect height to make them more visible on the road. When appropriately installed on trafficked areas or sidewalks, drivers can better perceive the distance and space between vehicles.
Moreover, various bollards installed on the ground can give the illusion that the street is narrow. This situation can help encourage drivers to be aware of their surroundings by slowing down, controlling the speed of their cars, and ensuring safe parking at certain distances. When this happens, drivers can prevent possible car collisions.
- Guide Traffic And Help Delineate Lanes
Bollards can also be helpful in enclosed traffic areas and those around lane narrowings. For example, you can install bollards in loading areas and routes with commercial access to guide traffic flow and delineate specific lanes. With these barriers, drivers getting out of their cars won’t hit other vehicles and leave them with unnecessary scratches.
On the other hand, it’s essential to know that using more robust bollards can be crucial in guiding traffic and lane delineation. Because of high traffic volume and some space limitations, plastic bollards can get bent easily when a car collision happens. So, choose the right bollards to avoid road problems in the long run.
- Protect Pedestrians From Getting Hit In An Accident
Generally, pedestrians make use of pavements when traversing highways and busy streets. But pavements might not be sufficient to protect them from pedestrian accidents. This is where the bollard installation fits into the picture.
By placing bollards, pedestrians and vehicles will be kept separate from each other. As a result, people can have peace of mind knowing they can cross the roads without worrying about getting hit and injured.
Moreover, when a driver swerves off sharply, the bollard will reduce the speed of the vehicle, allowing pedestrians to get rid of a potential pedestrian accident.
- Reduce Storefront Crashes
In most cases, a car crashing into your store can cause significant damage. You’ll incur a considerable amount of repair expenses, stop earning money for a while, and deal with the possibility of getting sued by your customers for endangering their lives.
To avoid these situations, installing robust bollards in your storefront can prevent heavy collisions and minor impacts. They can create barriers in your storefront, such that when a car hits a bollard, it can lower its speed to avoid storefront crashes.
Conclusion
Car accidents can happen at any time. It is one reason why safety on the road, the sidewalks, parking lots, and other heavily trafficked areas shouldn’t be taken for granted. Thankfully, bollards can be one of the effective ways to keep everyone safe from potential vehicular crashes. By keeping the information mentioned above in mind, you’ll know and understand how these barriers can prevent accidents.
