What is Vandal Resistance?

van*dal
One who intentionally or maliciously destroys public or private property.

re*sis*tant
The act or an instance of resisting or the capacity to resist; a force that tends to oppose or retard motion; immunity; incapable of being affected.

The term "Vandal Resistant" used by many luminaire manufacturers defines a category of lighting products designed for use in abusive environments. There are many forms of intentional vandalism with impact and prying being the most common. Objects such as pipes, baseball bats, sticks and rocks are typically used for impact damage while prying attacks are carried out using any device that can be leveraged in a manner allowing the luminaire to be removed from its mounting surface. In experiments designed to simulate intentional vandalism, many of these fixtures fall short of their intended capabilities.