J&S Franklin DefenCell joins Maccaferri commissioning of New Hostile Vehicle Incursion Prevention System – MacSafe

MacSafe is a new hostile vehicle incursion prevention system, developed in response to a need to upgrade security in public places.  It is designed to integrate public safety discretely into the landscaping of highly trafficked areas such as airports, schools, hospitals, and tourist attractions; providing high performance with low visual impact.

The MacSafe system consists of a minimum two high tensile steel cables, anchored at each end with a patented energy dissipation system. The cables are supported on tubular steel posts which are secured to ground foundations.

The force of the vehicle impact is distributed through the cables and posts and absorbed within the patented energy dissipaters. The energy is absorbed through compressive deformation and not by friction. This ensures better and more reliable performance throughout the long-life of the barrier. The system is crash test rated and accredited by the UIAU (University of Venice), and the installed version can stop a 19-tonne truck travelling at 50km/hour, impacting at 20°.

The MacSafe system can be rapidly installed on most soil types and is easily maintained. It is aesthetically pleasing and unobtrusive and can be fully disassembled once threat levels are decreased.

Last week, a 1km long stretch of MacSafe installed on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice, France, was inaugurated by Mr. Christian Estrosi, President of the Provence-Alpes-Côte-D’azur Region, one year after the terrorist attack which killed 86 people, when a 19-tonne truck was deliberately driven into crowds celebrating Bastille Day in 2016.

Jeremy Milton of J&S Franklin said, “We have a long history in providing DefenCell protection equipment and MacSafe is an important addition to our portfolio.”