In Germany the guidelines for the use of vehicle restraint systems (VRS) indicate that always the best possible safety level should be found depending on the specific situation. As every situation is different it is necessary to investigate various approaches to reach a high safety level in road equipment. This paper introduces four recent BASt projects on passive safety of road equipment in Germany. The first research project deals with frequently used support structures for traffic signs in Germany. Real crash tests and numerical simulations were used to identify passive safe constructions for car occupants. The other projects focus on the safety of motorcyclist. While in the second project crash tests according to standard CEN/TS 17342 are used to improve motorcyclist protection systems (MPS) for VRS, an expert survey and crash test with a specific dummy are the basis for the definition of sharp-edged components of VRS in the third project. The fourth project gives an outlook on the development of a new test procedure for passive safe road equipment for motorcyclists, like signs for the indication of bends which are made of plastic material.