Quote:
Originally Posted by Wormius
Has a light pole ever withstood any kind of collision or stopped a car dead in its tracks?
It’s sad a kid was killed, but it sounds like they couldn’t have done much if a car ran up onto the sidewalk.
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It would depend on the design of the pole and the nature of the collision.
Older style poles were basically logs planted into the ground and hitting them was like hitting a tree. At about 2 minutes into this video, they show a car driving full speed into an old style pole. The pole doesn't have much give.
There are still some of these wooden ones around the city. Like here in Renfrew:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/NbDk6gbtRq46gEQt8
There are also old metal ones too which won't break away in a collision:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/woiLkfU1YAYFmQvy5
These were finally replaced in late 2021 or 2022 with modern ones that are designed to breakaway in a collision:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/qSBp76D2ZkrWd6Yy5
I'd guess there are probably still quite a few of the non-breakaway style around the city.
On most of the busy roads, the poles are likely breakaway style. These are safer for the people in the car and should absorb some of the energy of the impact.
If a car hits one of these head-on at full speed, you're not likely to survive if you get hit regardless of where you're standing. There are many other types of collisions where the pole would provide at least some level of protection. Also, just being a few feet back from the corner gives you a little extra time to react if there's a collision in the intersection that pushes one of the vehicles onto the sidewalk.