BikeGuard Protection Goes West

16 August 2007

BikeGuard has recently been installed on the A379 Sandygate cloverleaf junction near Exeter. The continuous barrier attachment, specifically designed to offer protection to motorcyclists, was requested by Devon County Council to act as a preventative measure against motorcyclists suffering high severity injuries from impacting the support posts of the existing safety barrier.

Two runs of 120m and 172m were supplied and installed by Highway Care at the beginning of July. With BikeGuard in place, a biker that impacts the barrier will now be redirected along the smooth continuous surface of the barrier attachment reducing the potential severity of injury from contact with the vertical support posts of the existing barrier.

Tim Hipwell, Collision Investigation Officer, Devon County Council comments:

“In recent years there had been a number of serious collisions along this particular section of the A379. Motorcyclists were losing control on the long, tight curvature of the bend which links the M5 and Exeter . Detailed examination of the circumstances of the collisions showed that the riders were mainly locals who knew the road and were familiar with the layout. For this reason it was considered that additional warning signs or decreased speed limits would be inappropriate and ineffectual and that a proven secondary safety measure should be provided. BikeGuard has been introduced to this site with the aim of reducing the severity of injuries sustained by motorcycle riders who may lose control at this specific location. Devon County Council, as a Beacon Authority for Road Safety, is always looking to install innovative road safety measures to further reduce the number and severity of collisions on the roads.