Gamba aims to keep motorcyclists safe

Motorcyclists are one of the most vulnerable groups of road users. Their lack of protection from accident impacts puts them at particular risk.
April 6, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
Motorcyclists are one of the most vulnerable groups of road users. Their lack of protection from accident impacts puts them at particular risk.


And while many modern crash barriers work well in redirecting vehicles back along the median, rather than crossing the central reservation and causing head-on crashes, these barriers do not work well with motorcyclists, says 8398 Gamba Safety.

Hitting a barrier’s support or metal edge can cause severe injuries, even death.

The Italian company is launching a new system that can replace or upgrade existing barriers and greatly reduce the impact force involved.

It consists of a sliding cable barrier system that is placed in front of existing barriers. Unlike most cable-based restraint systems, the Gamba Sliding Coated Cable Barrier (GSCCBS) does not have pre-tensioned cables. Instead, the cables have a certain amount of ‘give’.

This means, says Gamba, that the cables absorb up to 80% of the impact force, dissipating it along the cable and into the ground. Additionally, a net or special cloth fixed horizontally along the base of the barrier ‘catches’ motorcyclists, rather than bouncing them back into the traffic stream.

The cables have a steel core, surrounded by several layers of woven polyester and Kevlar. Even if the central cable snaps under the impact, the layers of fabric prevent any debris being scattered along the roadway.

Gamba Safety’s new system has been launched in co-operation with ANAS, Italy’s Roads and Highways Agency, which has just received €2 million to upgrade existing barriers.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • VTT participates in biofuel production technology project
    September 15, 2017
    The VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland is participating in the EU-funded project COMSYN, which aims to develop a production concept for competitive bio-based fuels by means of a compact gasification and synthesis process. The target reduction of the biofuel production cost is up to 35 per cent compared to alternative routes, which translates to less than 0.80 €/l production cost for diesel.
    Read More
  • Jenoptik cameras reduce collisions
    March 19, 2022
    An analysis has shown that Jenoptik’s average speed cameras can reduce fatal and serious collisions by 50%. Ben Spencer learns that this technology also requires an understanding of the local environment
    Read More
  • Lindsay focuses on safety with Road Zipper barrier
    October 6, 2015
    You can’t miss Lindsay Transportation Solutions’ here at the ITS World Congress: the company’s Road Zipper System creates a flexible, positive traffic barrier between opposing lanes of traffic or between motorists and construction work zones while managing congestion.
    Read More
  • EU approves US$660 billion to transform Europe's transport network
    March 23, 2012
    The EU's Council of transport ministers met in Brussels yesterday and approved a proposal for a new regulation of Trans European Transport – Network (TEN-T) guidelines, in a package for a Connecting Europe Facility. The proposal approved yesterday, and which will cost US$660 billion by 2020 if fully implemented, is aimed at establishing and developing a complete TEN-T, consisting of infrastructure for roads, railways, inland waterways, shipping ports and airports. It also defined a comprehensive network and
    Read More

Highlighted Content