A British electrical enclosure manufacturer has claimed to have launched the first ever passively safe roadside cabinet.
Ritherdon has created the Passively Safe Cabinet, which is a roadside electrical enclosure designed to sheer off when struck by a vehicle, protecting the driver and passengers while preventing the need for extensive and expensive crash barriers.
Following more than a decade of research and development, combined with a six figure investment from the Lancashire firm, Ritherdon’s Passively Safe Cabinet offers a safety solution for housing electrical equipment, across a wide variety of applications, the firm said.
Passively Safe Cabinets are made from the same steel as Ritherdon’s traditional roadside cabinets, but their design means the body is attached to a spacer base with breakaway bolts which, if hit with enough force, sheer off.
Ritherdon has been developing and testing the Passively Safe Cabinet for more than 13 years, in collaboration with Manchester University’s School of Mechanical, Aeronautical and Civil Engineering.
Managing Director Ben Ritherdon said:
“The beauty of the Passively Safe Cabinet is that it does not replace traditional feeder cabinets.
“In many cases, such as alongside motorways and dual carriageways, where the speed limit is high, or along residential roads where speed limits are 20 or 30mph, traditional cabinets are ideal.
“Where the Passively Safe Cabinet shines is cases where a feeder pillar needs to be installed along country roads.
“Instead of effectively having to build a layby, and protect drivers with a costly, and ugly, vehicle restraint system, a Passively Safe Cabinet would be perfect.”
“The Passively Safe Cabinet doesn’t need to be placed behind an expensive VRS, and it doesn’t need to be set back from the road – and drivers will be as protected as possible in the event of a collision.”
Image courtesy of Ritherdon
