Densely populated pedestrian areas, like the Berlin Christmas Market, are always going to be a target for terrorists but the KarabloK system can go a long way to preventing truck attacks.
The attack, which has so far claimed the lives of 12 people, and left scores injured, was carried out by terrorists who crashed a large truck into the crowded market.
But further terrorist truck attacks could be averted if proper road blocks, such as the KarabloK hostile vehicle mitigation system, were deployed.
Gareth Neale, Director of KarabloK, said: “We’ve been busily reclaiming our town and city centres and turning them into pedestrian-friendly areas. And if it’s not Christmas markets, it’s everyday markets or other public events. It’s the way we live – and we want to keep on living this way – but they do present a soft target to terrorists.
“In short, it is designed to stop terrorist truck attacks like those in Berlin and earlier this year in Nice. Sadly, it looks as if such attacks could become a regular feature in Europe – unless we do something to stop it, by making it difficult for terrorists to reach their targets. And that is what KarabloK is designed to do.
“At the moment it’s just too easy for terrorists. There are countless thousands of large trucks on our roads and any one of them could be turned into a weapon by these people. We can’t do anything to change that but we can protect public places from truck attacks.
“The KarabloK hostile vehicle mitigation system stops a 7.5 tonne truck travelling at 50mph in its tracks in a MIRA test. It is quick to deploy and equally quick to remove again. It needs no footings or ground fixing. And it is designed to look good too, so we don’t feel like we’re walking into a war zone.”
The system is made up of large, individual precast concrete blocks which are filled with ballast, such as hardcore, and pinned together with a unique coupling system. Special blocks allow gateways, corners and angles so the system can form different sorts of barriers, from flat walls to chicanes and gateways. And after an event, the individual blocks can be taken away, stored and reused.
“KarabloK is the only precast concrete barrier system in the world that is certified for an impact load of 7.6 tonnes (17,000lb) at 50mph,” added Gareth Neale.
“In the independent tests we had carried out, the truck actually disintegrates while the single layer of blocks remains intact. You can see a video of the truck being stopped by the KarabloK barrier on our YouTube channel.
“The first KarabloK barrier to be deployed has just been built to protect the entrance at a sensitive utility in the UK. Others are already in the pipeline and we are in the process of allocating licences to partners all over the world so blocks can be made locally.”