Currently used highway crash cushions typically consist of plastic containers filled with water. Such cushions are one of the countermeasures to reduce vehicle damage and risk of occupant injury in crashes against the elements of road infrastructure such as tollgate islands, junctions, rigid poles etc.. A study was made with a view to evaluating performance of a newly developed crash cushion that consists of a plastic container and a large block of urethane foam. The evaluation was done by means of full-scale crash tests in which Hybrid III dummy was used to assess injury risk to a driver. It has been shown by the results that performance of the newly developed crash cushion is superior to that of the currently used ones in terms of reduction in vehicle deformation and risk of driver occupant injury.
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