Results of a full-scale crash test into an energy absorbing lighting pole on a sloped roadside

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a full-scale crash test into an energy absorbing lighting pole situated on an unlevel or sloped roadside. With poles representing approximately one third of single vehicle accidents involving roadside objects it is important to ascertain the performance of luminaire supports in the Australian road environment. Operational performance of some pole types in unlevel road environments seriously diminishes the safe and predictable performance of lighting poles.

This research utilises a full-scale crash test with an instrumented vehicle and dummy to determine performance of the pole. Analysis of the data acquired during the test was conducted to determine the performance of the appurtenance and effect of an unlevel roadside on the test outcome. The test results suggest that the test article is suitable for use on Australian roadsides, particularly sloped roadsides, pending some minor changes to the design. The study is limited to one full-scale test due to the inherently high cost of full-scale destructive testing. It is recommended that further testing of Australian poles be conducted to allow the refinement of Australian appurtenances making Australian roads more forgiving, reducing the number of lives lost each year in Australia due to road crashes.