the need for safer safety poles

could we pad the bottom 6 feet or so of our sturdy steel safety poles located at our major intersections?
safety poles on linden road intersections have resulted in at least 3 deaths during the past 2 years, 2 of them very recently.
the safety concerns of our local safety engineers are not in question, nor the need for staunch sturdiness in their construction.
what troubles me is that our vehicles are wiselyand thoughtfully designed to fold up, to crush, if you will, on impact.
steel poles are designed not to give or fold, even with severe impact.
impact with safety poles, then, are occasionally the cause of fatalities. were those fatalities to involve us or our loved ones, it would be difficult to accept or understand.
in our futures, i'm sure, will be sensors perhaps worn or built in to seat harnesses to disable vehicles during periods of a driver's major health crises.
safer barriers built of what seems to be forgiving soft metal and some sort of absorbent foam have been remarkably effective in reducing serious injuries at race tracks. perhaps, a couple of old tires or tire like substances around the bases would safe a life or two.
do i want our lives to be virtual padded cells. of course not, but we may be able to do better.