Crash Cushions

Crash cushions are vehicle restraint systems designed to protect vehicle occupants from severe consequences when vehicles leave the roadway. Their safety function is based on controlled impact energy absorption and crash-tested performance.

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What Are Crash Cushions?

Crash cushions are a category of vehicle restraint systems. They are designed to protect vehicle occupants from severe consequences when vehicles leave the roadway and collide with a hazard. Their safety principle is based on controlled energy absorption during impact.

Types of Crash Cushions

Different road layouts require different crash cushion configurations:

Why crash cushions matter

Occupant Protection
Crash cushions are designed to help protect vehicle occupants from severe consequences when a vehicle leaves the roadway and collides with a hazard. By managing the impact in a controlled way, they support safer roadside infrastructure.
Energy Absorption
The safety function of a crash cushion is based on controlled energy absorption through deformation. This helps reduce impact forces and supports a lower collision severity compared with a direct impact on an unprotected obstacle.
Crash-Tested Performance
Crash cushion functionality is assessed through crash testing in accordance with EN 1317-3. The testing framework helps evaluate system performance under defined impact conditions and supports a consistent basis for safety assessment

How Crash Cushions work

Crash cushions are designed to manage vehicle impacts in a controlled way. By absorbing kinetic energy and, in some cases, redirecting the vehicle, they help reduce the consequences of collisions with fixed roadside hazards.

  • absorb kinetic energy

  • decelerate impacting vehicles

  • reduce crash severity

  • protect both occupants and infrastructure

  • redirect vehicles depending on system design

Standards and testing for Crash Cushions

What Is Evaluated During Crash Cushion Testing?

Crash cushion testing assesses multiple aspects of system performance, including:

  • Impact energy absorption

  • Vehicle deceleration characteristics

  • Occupant risk criteria

  • System deformation behaviour

  • Lateral displacement

  • Vehicle redirection performance

  • Post-impact vehicle trajectory

These criteria help authorities, designers and infrastructure owners evaluate whether a crash cushion is suitable for a specific roadside application.

EN 1317

In many European markets, guardrail systems are assessed in line with EN 1317. The standard defines test methods and performance classes for vehicle restraint systems used in road and infrastructure projects.

Speed Classes

Crash cushions are tested at different impact speeds to evaluate their performance under varying collision scenarios. EN 1317-3 includes several speed classes that represent different operational environments and roadway requirements.

Impact Severity

A key objective of crash cushion testing is the evaluation of occupant risk during an impact. Testing considers parameters that help assess the forces acting on vehicle occupants throughout the collision event. The resulting classifications provide an indication of impact severity and occupant protection performance.

Lateral Displacement and Redirection

Depending on the system design, crash cushions may absorb impact energy and redirect a vehicle after impact. Testing evaluates how much space a system requires during deformation and how the vehicle behaves following the collision. These characteristics can be important when selecting solutions for locations with limited installation space.

Why Saferoad?

Crash cushions are often only one component of a comprehensive roadside safety solution. With expertise across the full range of vehicle restraint systems, Saferoad supports infrastructure projects with integrated safety solutions for highways, bridges, tunnels and urban roads.

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Crash Cushion FAQ

What is a crash cushion?

A crash cushion is a vehicle restraint system designed to help reduce the consequences of collisions with fixed roadside hazards by managing impact energy in a controlled way.

Where are crash cushions typically installed?

Crash cushions are commonly installed at highway exits, gore areas, bridge supports, toll plazas, tunnel approaches, median openings, and other locations where vehicles may encounter fixed obstacles.

How do crash cushions work?

Crash cushions absorb impact energy through controlled deformation. Depending on the system design, they may also redirect a vehicle after impact to help reduce collision severity.

What is the difference between a crash cushion and a guardrail?

Guardrails are designed to contain and redirect vehicles along the roadside. Crash cushions are typically installed in front of fixed hazards and are designed to absorb impact energy when a vehicle collides directly with an obstacle.

What is the difference between a crash cushion and a terminal?

A terminal forms the end section of a safety barrier system. A crash cushion is an independent vehicle restraint system specifically designed to protect fixed hazards and absorb collision energy.

Are all crash cushions the same?

No. Crash cushions are available in different configurations to suit various road layouts, traffic conditions and infrastructure requirements.

Common configurations include:

  • Parallel crash cushions

  • V-shape (trapezoid) crash cushions

  • Asymmetric crash cushions

Can crash cushions be used on bridges?

Yes. Crash cushions are frequently used to protect bridge structures, bridge supports and other infrastructure elements located close to traffic lanes.

How do I choose the right crash cushion?

The selection of a crash cushion depends on factors such as road geometry, available installation space, traffic conditions, site-specific requirements and applicable regulations.