Concrete Bollards Save Lives Outside Donut Shop

This video shows how some carefully stacked bollards could mean the difference between life and death.
Jessica Miley

This terrifying video demonstrates exactly how well-placed bollards can save lives. In the footage, an out-of-control truck careers around a bend, mounting the footpath and smashes into concrete bollards outside a small donut shop narrowly missing two customers. 

The truck is traveling so fast it pushes one of the concrete bollards completely over and pummels the other one to pieces, but by this time they had already done their job in stopping the truck. 

The video shows the truck approaching from both the perspective of video cameras mounted outside the shop as well as inside. You can clearly see how one person manages to sling himself inside just seconds before the truck hits, while the other can only cower in front of the glass as the truck smashes into the wall only a meter in front of the shop. 

The psychological stress this person experienced is hard to imagine. The driver was picked up by police under suspected DUI charges. 

There had been several other similar crashes outside the shop, which had prompted the shop owners to reinforce the bollards with additional concrete blocks. The shop suffered only light damage and local reports say the bollards were quickly replaced. 

Concrete bollards can come in a variety of shapes from precast wall chunks, like the pieces used in front of this shop or more slimline taller bollards that are used less to protect people and property from impact but deter drivers from accessing pedestrian zones.