Britain’s leading electrical enclosure manufacturer is unveiling the world’s first passively safe roadside cabinet, designed to save lives and money.

CENEX exhibitors Ritherdon are proud to announce the first Passively Safe Cabinet – a roadside electrical enclosure designed to sheer off when struck, protecting drivers and passengers while preventing the need for expensive and unsightly Vehicle Restraint Systems.

Following a six-figure investment and 13 years of research and development, in partnership with Manchester University’s School of Mechanical, Aeronautical and Civil Engineering, Ritherdon’s Passively Safe Cabinet has been proved to be safer than standard electrical cabinets.

Managing Director Ben Ritherdon said: “The Passively Safe Cabinet doesn’t need to be placed behind an expensive VRS, and it doesn’t need to be set back from the road – and drivers will be as protected as possible in the event of a collision.

“Also, a single Passively Safe Cabinet is much quicker and cheaper to replace than a standard cabinet and a VRS in the event of an accident.”

Passively Safe Cabinets are made from the same strong steel as Ritherdon’s traditional roadside cabinets, but their ingenious design means the body of the Passively Safe Cabinet is not bolted to the ground.

Instead, the crash-friendly roadside cabinet, designed and tested to EN12767, is attached to a spacer base with breakaway bolts which, if hit with enough force, sheer off.

Recent crash demonstrations, at the Institute of Traffic Accident Investigators Crash Day 2025, have shown the striking difference between a car hitting a Passively Safe Cabinet, which just sheers away from the base, versus a normal cabinet, which is likely to completely destroy the car, the cabinet and potentially the inhabitants of the car.

Ben said: “The beauty of the Passively Safe Cabinet is that it does not replace traditional feeder cabinets.

“In many cases, traditional feeder cabinets are ideal. But in other cases, especially where the customer has a lot of sites, such as for speed, traffic or weather monitoring projects, Ritherdon’s Passively Safe Cabinets are ideal.

“We have had a lot of interest from those conducting roadside monitoring, as it is often impractical, or not possible, to either install a VRS or find enough land to set their equipment a safe enough distance from the road.

“This is an ideal use case for the Passively Safe Cabinet, as they have been able to save many thousands – by negating the need to purchase a VRS, and also the extra land needed to safely house it.”