What does anti-ram actually mean?

As someone who has designed and tested a range of products that stop empty 18 tonne vehicles at speeds of upto 50mph under the UK PAS68/IWA14 scheme, I feel I am qualified to talk about what anti-ram actually means when it is used by those supplying products.

The first thing to say is that "something is better than nothing". Any visual deterrent that might stop a ram raid or vehicular attack has to be better than nothing - BUT and there is a but here, please read on!!

Did you know that none of the so called anti-ram products have ever been tested and most suppliers of them have no knowledge as to whether the product would actually work if hit and to what extent. In fact, most of the suppliers that sell these have no knowledge of the market at all!! (just to confirm we do)!

At the moment (and there is a testing project being considered) unless the product has a PAS68 or IWA14 test certificate and a PAS68 or IWA14 performance rating, then it has not been tested and you should be careful with what you buy.

You should also know that when we design and test products to withstand an impact, the product itself is not the only thing we consider. The foundation in which it is held and installed is crucially important; you can have a really strong bollard but if it is not installed with a suitable foundation, then it will just fall over.

And it is here that most of the issues with anti-ram products are found - the foundation. Actually some of the bollards might be quite strong but the foundations in which they are suggested to be installed are insufficient in most cases.

If you would like us to help you to pick and install a product that has a better chance of surviving a ram raid attack, please get in touch.