A growing public health concern

Traffic injuries cause 1.25 million deaths annually, and 50 million injuries worldwide. This is an immense amount of human suffering, and most of this true horror can be avoided with improved traffic safety. In fact, the leading cause of death for young people ages 15 – 29 is traffic injuries! Right now, on your streets and roads, drivers are at risk for their lives because of the dangerous roadside equipment lining the edges of your roads.

Thankfully, you can now prevent much of this unbearable pain, relieving the burden of personal grief, hospital resources, lost economic potential in your community, and the terrible impact of death and injury that last a lifetime for surviving spouses and children.

Yes, people should be more mindful when driving, slow down when directed, not text and drink, be better drivers, but people are only people. Education and creating awareness is most important but so is also proper road design. This is why road managers must take action and reduce the daily risk by replacing rigid poles with passive safe poles that absorb the shock of impact and prevent drivers and their passengers from serious harm. You can be a hero to the families in your community by making the right design, making the right choices.

Reducing speed is not enough

As a traffic safety expert, you know that people do not always obey signage. Most people travel in excess of the posted speed because they are in a hurry, or are not paying attention like they should. Drivers risk an accident or fatality by traveling too fast…or an animal suddenly crosses the road, or the car in front makes an unexpected move…

This is why poles or obstacles close to the road should not increase the hazard of driving. Driving into a rigid pole at 50 km/h can be a deadly accident, even in a car with safety features like airbags. Driving at 50 km/h and instantly slowing to 0 km/h is shocking to the human body as the G-forces are absorbed by the organs, leading to internal injuries that cause hospitalization or death.

With ZIPpoles, the energy of the crash is absorbed by the pole, not by the human body, saving the driver and passengers from damage or death. ZIPpoles are high energy absorbing poles that slow the car in a controlled manner, preventing the shock of human tragedy. This is why it’s so important to gradually begin replacing your rigid poles.

A good investment that grows gradually

Making a good investment for your community’s health and safety is always a good decision, but resources are often limited. Even so, you can make the changes gradually by replacing rigid poles in the most critical traffic locations.

As a road safety supervisor, you have to set budget priorities. Using your data, identify the areas with the highest accidents and replace those rigid poles first.

Drivers might be at fault, but you can protect them from unnecessary injuries and damage. Less fatalities and injuries on your roads are proof you are doing a great job, and this will serve you well in your career and annual job performance.

Make plans now by identifying the priority areas on your roads, and invest in your community by setting dedicated funding for the gradual replacement of rigid light poles with ZIPpoles that limit death and injury. As those statistics decline, your community’s investment in you grows brighter.

Strong, resilient, and environmentally friendly

The high-strength steel in ZIPpoles provide the durability you need for long life while also delivering the flexibility to absorb the shock of impact, greatly reducing serious injury and death. ZIPpoles yield to a vehicle’s impact and reduce momentum in a controlled manner. Crashing into a tree can be fatal, even at low speeds, but striking a crash-friendly ZIPpole reduces the risk of injury and death after a collision.

An added benefit is that ZIPpoles’ steel column resists corrosion and significantly reduces zinc runoff making ZIPpoles an environmentally responsible choice, a big Green plus with today’s political and social awareness. ZIPpoles are CE approved according to EN40, EN12899, and EN12767.

You can start saving lives today by making a strategic decision to build ZIPpoles into your budget. Your community will thank you for taking such excellent care of them.

Step by step is the best approach

Your community is trusting you to make the best decisions for their safety. They understand that resources are limited and, like you, must also make the best decisions with the resources they have. This is a perfect time to show your community you have their best interests in mind by beginning to replace rigid poles with strong, resilient ZIPpoles that extend the braking distance by absorbing and controlling the impact, making human injury less severe and death less likely.

While we cannot prevent accidents from happening, replacing obstacles along the roadside edge that can injure and kill people is a priority. No one expects you to change all the light poles at once, but doing so step-by-step and pole-by-pole is a significant improvement that’s a major credit to you.

While passive safe poles are more expensive, the cost of human life and injury is even more expensive. By choosing energy absorbing poles, you are improving your service to the public… which is what your community expects. Imagine their appreciation and respect because you acted in their best interests.