Bollards Help Prevent Storefront Crashes
According to information reported by the Storefront Safety Council, approximately 100 automobiles crash into storefronts on a given day. 24% of said incidents occur in front of retail stores, 42% involve at least one injury, and fatalities are involved in 8% of accidents. Statistics report 16,000 injuries and 2600 deaths each year. Accidents can be the result of many things. Sometimes a malevolent driver purposely rams an automobile into a storefront intending to cause as much damage as possible. Other times, a motorist is pulling into a lot and accidentally places pressure on the gas pedal instead of the brake — and before they realize their effort, their front end has smashed through glass window and counter. As a property owner, there’s not much you can do to prevent accidents from taking place. But what you can do is set up sturdy bollards before your storefront to catch and stop vehicles before they touch your infrastructure.
Why are bollards superior to parking blocks?
Some storefronts attempt to curb incidents using parking blocks: rectangular chunks of specially carved concrete, rubber, or plastic positioned at the very end of a parking spot. However, these blocks are only effective at slowing down — and not necessarily stopping — vehicles that are already moving at a slow speed. Ideally, the driver is caught in a moment of carelessness, will drive forward too far, and be jolted awake when their tires bump into the block. And because the vehicle is already moving slowly, they shouldn’t have enough acceleration to drive over the block.
This is where bollards emerge as the superior option. Because of their greater height, these fixtures do more than simply provide an object for tires to bump into. They are designed to catch the actual chassis of the vehicle and stop automobiles in their tracks. Bollards come in a variety of types, and some — like the Embedded bollards sold here at PalmSHIELD — are installed directly into the strata of their installation site. This means enhanced strength capable of resisting tremendous force, including that of vehicular impacts. What’s more, because of their vertical build, bollards are much more visible to motorists.
Where should I install my storefront bollards?
The idea of storefront bollards is to help shield property and customers from vehicular threats. So while you don’t necessarily need them in lots located away from your building perimeter, you should consider installing them at points such as the following:
- Storefront entrance. Obviously, this is an area with major security needs. The entrance of your store is where customers, having exited their vehicles, make their way toward your establishment. Many will be situated on the other side of the door and wall, waiting to check out, talking with salespeople, etc.
- Areas with glazing. Glazing refers to any part of a building where glass forms the entire wall from ceiling to floor. These areas are especially vulnerable to impacts of all kinds.
- Private entrances. Not all bollards are inflexible. Here at PalmSHIELD, we sell Collapsible bollards, which — as the name suggests — are designed to collapse to street-level, thereby allowing automobiles to pass over. If you have a private entrance or sector behind your storefront, you can lower these bollards when entering and then raise them again to keep out unauthorized vehicles.
Contact the sales team at PalmSHIELD today for a free quote on any of our bollard types!