A Full-Length Explanation of the Role of TMAs in Reducing Rear-End Collisions During Roadwork in UAE
Imagine a vehicle that’s stopped on a highway in the UAE with its lights flashing, and then add a construction crew that operates metres away.
Then a car drives up from behind, doesn’t slow down in time, and crashes into the back of the car.
This is not theoretical, it is a real possibility.
It is one of the most common — and most preventable — types of accidents on roads under construction or maintenance.
The Truck Mounted Attenuator is here to alter the ending.
This guide explains step-by-step how TMAs help prevent rear end accidents when the road is being worked, the actual research findings, and why these are so critical on UAE roads in particular.
Why Are Rear-End Accidents Common Near Roadwork?
It’s helpful to first understand the problem before looking for a solution.
Drivers coming into a work site are often traveling at highway speed and the change from an open road to a work vehicle traveling at highway speeds is quick — sometimes too quick to be able to stop.
Studies on mobile work zone crashes have identified that the speed differential between the mobile work zone and the actual vehicle travel speed and the inability to recognize and react in time are the primary causes of mobile work zone crashes.
The most frequently occurring type of accident in these circumstances is a rear-end accident.
This is not a national feature.
The same applies to roads in the UAE.
Tailing and abrupt braking are possible causes of rears and contribute to approximately 6.4% of the total number of accidents reported in the UAE.
The risk escalates rapidly when you add fast moving traffic to a slow or stationary work vehicle, and TMAs are designed to address this situation.
A True UAE Case Study of the Risk
This is NOT a theoretical threat.
In July 2016, seven persons were killed and 13 others injured in a multiple-crash incident on Emirates Road, when a minibus of construction company employees crashed into the back of a 70 tonne truck stopped in an unauthorized area.
A similar accident in May 2014, where 13 Asian employees, who were on the bus to work, were killed and 15 were injured, after nearly colliding with a stationary truck on Emirates Road.
These are sobering reminders of what can happen when a stationary and slow-moving car on a UAE highway is not protected.
The proper deployment of TMA is exactly designed to stop situations such as these — stop the impact from hitting people.
The True Effect That a TMA Has on Collision Severity
Then, how does a TMA affect the results of a rear-end collision?
It is not as simple as having “something soft to hit.”
A Truck Mounted Attenuator is an energy absorbing device mounted at the back of a truck which can absorb and dissipate the kinetic energy of a collision.
This helps to reduce the impact force and to reduce any injury or damage to the vehicle.
Recent crash-test research supports this assertion, not on faith, but with facts.
Results from a full-scale crash test study with 80 km/h fronts provided direct evidence of the effectiveness of Truck-Mounted Attenuators in reducing the injury to occupants during high speed rear-end crashes in highway work zones.
This is a very useful piece of data.
It’s not modelling, it’s real crash test data that demonstrates measurable injury reduction at realistic highway speeds.
The Data Supports the Research Consensus: TMAs Work
Outside of individual studies, the overall transportation safety research literature is on the same side.
The researchers have noted that TMA devices have seen high effectiveness in both reducing the severity and cost of rear-end collisions.
When studying potential rear end collisions between mobile and short duration operations work vehicles and motorists, it was determined that the use of TMAs was very effective at reducing these outcomes.
The presence of TMAs in work zones has been identified as a significant reduction of crash severity by a study conducted by the National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse.
This is the kind of evidence that should give UAE contractors confidence and not a single study or a manufacturer’s marketing hype.
It’s a common discovery in years of transportation safety research.
You May Think That Visibility Is Only About Being Visible, But It’s Not
A TMA can’t function unless drivers can see it in time for them to slow down.
This seems like a no-brainer, but there are some science concepts that make this more complex than most realize and directly impact the number of rear-end collisions that are prevented to begin with.
Research has shown that a 6″-8″ wide yellow and black inverted “V” chevron with a 45 degree slope is most effective for recognition of TMA and to notify drivers of work zones ahead of them.
Other studies suggest the use of amber and white warning LEDs which flash in an asynchronous pattern and are mounted to be visible from 1,500 feet or more away from the work zone for 360 degrees.
This research of visibility is very much a practical directive as to how effective a TMA deployment will be on UAE highways, given the extreme daytime glare levels and dust conditions commonly experienced on UAE roads.
An inadequately marked TMA provides a driver with less reaction time and reduces the effectiveness of the TMA.
A separate study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) showed that reflective vehicle markings helped to prevent side and rear collisions by up to 44 percent in dark conditions.
Spacing and Configuration Is as Important
It’s not just the TMA truck.
The overall set-up of the entire work zone is an important factor in collision prevention.
Research indicates that having a lead, buffer and advance warning truck with a buffer between 100 and 150 feet between the trucks lessens the likelihood of lateral intrusions and TMA roll-ahead.
That’s the buffer space that provides a margin of safety to absorb the impact without the energy passing directly through the workers ahead.
Not doing this configuration (pushing trucks too tightly to save time or space) defeats the whole safety design.
How This Applies to UAE Roadworks in Particular
TMA deployment is especially relevant for UAE highways because of the unique combination of risk factors they present.
However, the UAE has made significant strides in reducing road accidents and fatalities over the last decade, with the number of road deaths falling by almost 40% from 2014 to 2024, as a result of the enforcement of traffic regulations and the upgrading of roads.
However, construction and maintenance works sites are still a unique risk category, since they add unexpected changes in speed into what is otherwise a relatively smooth and fast flow of traffic.
The UAE continues to have collision accidents as the primary road risk (67.5% of all accidents), and Dubai is the Emirate with the most number of collisions.
Roadwork zones, especially, are a perfect environment for the kind of accident this happens in, because you’re on a road that’s slowing down, changing lanes and faces an unexpected obstacle.
That’s why TMA deployment on UAE roadwork sites is no box ticking exercise.
It directly addresses the most prevalent type of accident, at the intersection of the most prevalent risk factors.
For Contractors, What to Take Away
This research provides a few practical points to keep in mind if you are conducting roadworks on UAE highways.
First
Treat TMA chevron and LED visibility requirements not as a cosmetic consideration, but as functional safety features that have a direct impact on approaching vehicle reaction time.
Second
Keep proper buffer space between lead, buffer and warning vehicles.
Don’t shrink the work zone footprint.
Third
Keep in mind that the facts support deployment of TMA as a proven, evidence-based way to help lower the incidence and severity of rear-end crashes, and not just a regulatory requirement.
Final Thoughts
The figures, the test results and the UAE’s accident record all concur.
One of the best ways to avoid one of the most prevalent and hazardous types of road work accidents is to use a properly placed and visible TMA.
A properly deployed Truck Mounted Attenuator is more than a safety device.
It is a proven protection system that reduces crash severity, protects workers, safeguards motorists and helps ensure that roadwork projects can be completed safely and efficiently across the UAE.