Safety Eligibility Letter

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration

400 Seventh St., S.W. Washington, D.C. 20590 Refer To: HSA-10/WZ-98

Mr. Moon K. Hong
Managing Director
Kong Young Lamps & Safety Company, Ltd.
C-3504 Dong II Technotown
889-1 Kwan Yang Dong
Dong An Ku, An Yang Si, Kyung Gi Do
431-060 Korea

Dear Mr. Hong:

Thank you for your letter of August 17 requesting Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) acceptance of your company’s Auto L.E.D. Warning Beacon for Barricade Use as a crashworthy traffic control device for use in work zones on the National Highway System (NHS). Accompanying your letter was a report of crash testing conducted by E-Tech Testing Services and a video of the tests. You requested that we find this device acceptable for use on the NHS under the provisions of National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 350 “Recommended Procedures for the Safety Performance Evaluation of Highway Features.”

Introduction
The FHWA guidance on crash testing of work zone traffic control devices is contained in two memoranda. The first, dated July 25, 1997, titled “INFORMATION: Identifying Acceptable Highway Safety Features,” established four categories of work zone devices: Category I devices were those lightweight devices which could be self-certified by the vendor, Category II devices were other lightweight devices which needed individual crash testing, Category III devices were barriers and other fixed or massive devices also needing crash testing, and Category IV devices were trailer mounted lighted signs, arrow panels, etc. The second guidance memorandum was issued on August 28, 1998, and is titled “INFORMATION: Crash Tested Work Zone Traffic Control Devices.” This later memorandum lists devices that are acceptable under Categories I, II, and III.

A brief description of the device follows:

The Auto L.E.D. is a 360 degree warning light beacon powered by two 1.5-volt D-cell (3V total) batteries. It weighs approximately 1 kg complete with batteries. Product specifications are enclosed for reference. For purposes of testing the Auto L.E.D. was mounted to the Bent Type II Plywood Panel Barricade also illustrated in the enclosures. The “worst case” 914 mm wide barricade test article assembly was specified for testing. This barricade had previously been successfully tested to NCHRP Report 350 and found acceptable by the FHWA (Acceptance Letter WZ-6 dated November 23, 1998). The design of this barricade was also released as a generic design by FHWA in our Acceptance Letter WZ-54 on September 15, 2000. The test article mass, including the warning light, is 11.8 kg.

Testing
Full-scale automobile testing was conducted on your company’s devices. Two stand-alone examples of the device were tested in tandem, one head-on and the next placed six meters downstream turned at 90 degrees, as called for in our guidance memoranda. The complete device as tested is shown in Enclosure 1. The crash test is summarized in the table below:

Test Number	36-0620-1
Test Article	Auto LED Warning Beacon on Bent Type II Plywood Panel Barricade
Height to Top of Top Panel	930 mm
Height to Top of Leg	1035 mm
Height to Top of Light	1150 mm
Flags or lights	One light on each barricade
Test Article Mass (each)	11.8 kg (no ballast used)
Vehicle Inertial Mass	813 kg
Impact Speed, Head-on	102.5 kmh
Impact Speed, 90 degree	100.4 kmh
Velocity Change, Head-on	0.58 m/s
Velocity Change, 90 degree	0.58 m/s
Vehicle crush	Slight damage to bumper, hood, and grill.
Occupant Compart. Intrusion	None. No windshield contact by barricade or light
Windshield Damage	None. No contact

Findings
In the head-on impact the light remained intact and connected to the barricade. In the 90 degree impact the light was hit by the first barricade and came apart. No part of the light or batteries impacted the windshield. Damage was limited to dents in the bumper, hood, and grille. No part of either barricade or light impacted the windshield.

The results of the testing met the FHWA requirements and, therefore, the devices described above and shown in the enclosed drawings for reference are acceptable for use on the NHS under the range of conditions tested, when proposed by a state. All warning lights, including the Auto L.E.D. Warning Beacon for Barricade Use, must be securely attached to the barricade with standard fasteners including the vandal-resistant cupped washer or equivalent.

Please note the following standard provisions which apply to FHWA letters of acceptance:

• Our acceptance is limited to the crashworthiness characteristics of the devices and does not cover their structural features, nor conformity with the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices.
• Any changes that may adversely influence the crashworthiness of the device will require a new acceptance letter.
• Should the FHWA discover that the qualification testing was flawed, that in-service performance reveals unacceptable safety problems, or that the device being marketed is significantly different from the version that was crash tested, it reserves the right to modify or revoke its acceptance.
• You will be expected to supply potential users with sufficient information on design and installation requirements to ensure proper performance.
• You will be expected to certify to potential users that the hardware furnished has essentially the same chemistry, mechanical properties, and geometry as that submitted for acceptance, and that they will meet the crashworthiness requirements of FHWA and NCHRP Report 350.
• To prevent misunderstanding by others, this letter of acceptance, designated as number WZ-98 shall not be reproduced except in full. This letter, and the test documentation upon which this letter is based, is public information. All such letters and documentation may be reviewed at our office upon request.
• If the Auto L.E.D. warning light is patented it would be considered "proprietary." The use of proprietary work zone traffic control devices in Federal-aid projects is generally of a temporary nature. They are selected by the contractor for use as needed and removed upon completion of the project. Under such conditions they can be presumed to meet requirement "a" given below for the use of proprietary products on Federal-aid projects. On the other hand, if proprietary devices are specified for use on Federal-aid projects, except exempt, non-NHS projects, they: (a) must be supplied through competitive bidding with equally suitable unpatented items; (b) the highway agency must certify that they are essential for synchronization with existing highway facilities or that no equally suitable alternative exists or; (c) they must be used for research or for a distinctive type of construction on relatively short sections of road for experimental purposes. Our regulations concerning proprietary products are contained in Title 23, Code of Federal Regulations, Section 635.411, a copy of which is enclosed.

Sincerely yours,   Frederick G. Wright, Jr. Program Manager, Safety

Enclosure

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