Argentina installs impact absorbers to prevent guardrail 'spears' after fatal crashes

Argentina commemorates National Road Safety Day on June 10, a date that prompts reflection on the persistent issue of road fatalities. While recent statistics from the Ministry of Economy's Secretariat of Transport indicate a slight improvement from a decade ago, with 46,871 deaths recorded over the last ten years, the challenge remains significant.

Despite advancements in vehicle safety technology and increased enforcement and infrastructure improvements, specialists emphasize that excessive speed continues to be a major factor in severe and fatal accidents. A critical concern highlighted by automotive industry specialist Lucas Abriata involves the design of guardrails. He points out that the ends of these barriers, rather than the rails themselves, pose a severe risk. According to current Argentine standards, these exposed ends can transform into "spears," capable of piercing vehicle safety features and causing grave harm or death to occupants, with numerous documented cases supporting this claim.

In response to this danger, Autopistas Urbanas (AUSA) has implemented a solution on Buenos Aires highways. The agency has installed more than 50 impact absorbers at key locations, especially where highway exits meet the main road. These devices are engineered to absorb the kinetic energy of impacting vehicles, thereby reducing the force transmitted to the occupants. Daniel Fiorio, AUSA's Head of Maintenance, explained that these systems are positioned at points where the guardrail forms a sharp end. The absorbers feature a rail system with sliding metal components and a layered lateral mechanism designed to deform and absorb impact energy. The core of the system lies in specialized plastic "impact cartridges" filled with a fiberglass-like material that compresses upon impact, allowing for progressive deceleration of the vehicle and significantly lessening the forces experienced by those inside.