Buffering Safety

Concrete walls and Armco guardrails have been the status quo in driver protection for over 60 years. Yet both have proven to cause serious injuries and fatalities. Tire walls aren’t always capable of absorbing high-speed impact and often directly abut cement with no space in between, thus they can be harder to hit and offer even less absorption. Moreover, tires can scatter, create rebounds into traffic and allow cars to submarine or flip over.

Thompson Motor Speedway
Buffers with 2 Rows
of ISS Barriers

In higher-impact areas or high speed turns, double or triple rows of ISS Buffer Barriers before concrete and/or Armco is the optimum safety solution, even where tire walls already exist. We also suggest adding space between the tires and guardrails/cement walls. This buffering method adds “Crush Space” and acts as the first line of defense, providing fast gradual absorption and deceleration before reaching the last line of defense—hard walls. For maximum safety, it’s recommended to add more pavement and a gravel pit in front of barriers, as well as additional run off areas.

Thermal Club Buffers
Armco & Concrete
with ISS Barriers

The Thermal Club in Palm Springs, California is the world’s premier private motorsports facility. They outfitted three of their courses with ISS’ state-of-the-art barrier technology—red and white Kart Impact Safety Systems (KISS) barriers outline one mile of the South Palm Circuit and three miles of the karting track; blue and white ProLink barriers cover three-quarters of a mile of the North Palm Circuit; and more than half a mile of the Desert Circuit is bordered by green and white ProLink barriers. In total, there were nearly 3000 ISS Barriers deployed. Many of the ISS Barriers were placed at critical locations to buffer existing metal guardrails or cement retaining walls, often in combination with pavement and a gravel pit before the barriers. We’re happy to report that, to date, this buffering system has consistently stopped cars from ever reaching the outer walls.

SS Buffering Configurations - 15-20' Away

New ISS Foam Filled Barriers

ISS introduces its newest safety barrier technology specifically developed to protect the riskiest turns on a track and areas where speeds reach their peak. The new ISS Foam-Filled Barriers are engineered to deform while absorbing energy and will be offered in three densities—soft, medium and firm. Prototypes are in the final testing phase and will be released soon. According to RJ Valentine, “Hitting these new barriers will be like hitting a pillow!”