We work across all sectors.
We deliver in the field, not just the lab.

Frangible Safety Signposts.

Background.

It’s been estimated that vehicle collisions with rigid roadside features such as signposts and streetlights cause over 15% of all road fatalities. In the UK alone, there are around 100 deaths and 3,000 serious injuries every year, as a result of vehicles hitting street furniture. To tackle both the human cost and the impact on the European economy, the European standard EN 12767 was introduced in 2000, stipulating that all roadside furniture on roads with a speed limit over 50 km/h should be passively friendly (crash friendly). Since then, EN 12767 has been constantly reviewed with adjustments made every 5-10 years.

Solution.

Over 10 years ago, our founder, Gerry Boyce, worked with 3M to design, develop, test and certify composite signposts to EN 12767 standard – resulting in the safest signpost on the market. The patented technology involves pultruding a range of collapsible composite posts with varying diameters, as a direct replacement for rigid steel posts. The intellectual property was bought from 3M in 2010 and the product is now being commercialised through a spin-off company called Frangible Safety Posts Ltd.

Benefits
The benefits of crash friendly composite posts include:

  • Reduced deaths and serious injuries.
  • Lightweight and easy to install.
  • Identical installation techniques and accessories as steel posts.
  • Corrosion resistant and maintenance free.
  • Increased durability and 50-year projected life.
  • Full range of colours.

Our areas of expertise

  • Composite post design to European standard EN 40 (streetlights), EN 12898 (signposts) and EN 12767 (passive safety).
  • Pultrusion of composite posts.
  • Materials selection – fibre and resin.
  • Painting and coating to resist UV and the environment.
  • Crash simulation software.
  • Testing of posts to EN 12787, EN 40 and EN 12767.
  • IP and patenting.
  • Business planning and fundraising.

Car impacting steel post at 100mph

Car impacting steel post at 100mph

Car impacting Frangible Safety Post at 100mph

Car impacting Frangible Safety Post at 100mph