Safe Summers: Why July is the Perfect Time to Secure Your Driveway
With the school summer holidays just around the corner, family homes are about to get a lot busier. The six-week break means weeks of garden football matches, paddling pools, and endless outdoor play.
While it is great to see the kids enjoying the fresh air, it also means parents have to be extra vigilant. An open driveway can quickly turn into a worry if little ones (or pets) wander too close to the road.
Installing automated gates is one of the most effective ways to secure your property boundary, keeping the kids safely inside your perimeter and unwanted visitors out. However, when it comes to automated gates and children, security is only half the story, safety is the absolute priority.
Security Outside, Total Safety Inside
At Owl Access, we believe a secure gate should never pose a risk to the people it is meant to protect. Electric gates are powerful pieces of machinery, which is why we take every precaution to ensure they are completely safe from curious little hands and feet.
When we design and install an automated system, we build in multiple layers of smart safety features:
Photocells (Safety Beams): These are infrared light beams installed across the driveway opening. If a child, pet, or toy breaks the beam while the gate is moving, the system instantly stops and reverses.
Safety Edges (Rubber Strips): These pressure-sensitive strips are fitted to the moving edges of the gate. If they make even the slightest contact with an obstruction, the gate immediately halts its progress, preventing any risk of crushing or trapping.
Force Limitation: Modern automation motors are programmed to detect resistance. If the gate encounters an unexpected obstacle, the motor cuts power automatically.
Anti-Trap Design: We carefully assess the hinges and gaps around the posts during the survey stage to eliminate “pinch points” where small hands could get caught.
Ultimate Peace of Mind for Busy Parents
A professionally installed automated gate gives you the freedom to let the kids play in the garden without that constant underlying anxiety about the front boundary. With features like auto-close, you don’t even have to worry about a visitor accidentally leaving the gate swung wide open.
If you want to make your property a safer, more secure environment before the summer holidays hit full swing, get in touch with our team today to discuss a secure, child-friendly automation upgrade.