Road signs are one of the most important factors that provide essential information to road users regarding the upcoming distractions, detours, traffic safety, construction, and other types of factors that might affect drivers from making relevant decisions. Nowadays, almost every road sign is made of reflective surfaces. This means that the headlight from the car will reflect the content of the sign to the driver. This way the drivers won’t face problems reading the content on the signs even at night. Even though we all saw reflective street signs, what are the materials that make them reflective?
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History of Reflective Street Signs
Previously, the street signs used to be made of metal and painted yellow. The color of the road signs used to be lighter so that the drivers can see them easily even from a distance. This helped the drivers to read the street signs at night. However, the visibility of these signs wasn’t great.
In 1939, a person named Harry Heltzer developed the first reflective street signs that can be used even in pitch dark areas. The tape of the street signs was designed in such a way that when the light of the vehicle falls upon it, it will reflect the light. This way makes the information glow.
Top Materials for Reflective Road Signs
Do you know why the street signs are reflective? This is because they are made of micro prisms, glass breads, and encapsulated lenses that reflect the light. These materials are capable of blending light. Therefore, the light reflects on the source. When drivers turn on their vehicle headlights at night, these materials will reflect that light to the driver. There are three different types of grades for this sheeting:
Engineer Grade Reflective Sign
Engineer grade reflective signs use the micro prism optical technology or glass bread to bend and reflect the path of the light. Additionally, this type of reflective street sign is much more cost-effective than the others. However, keep in mind that the visibility of the engineer-grade reflective sign is poor. Drivers cannot see them if they are more than 600 feet apart from them. These types of signs are often used in parking lots and garages. As per Supaquick, traffic signs are important.
High-Intensity Grade Reflective Signs
High-intensity grade reflective signs are made of prismatic material or cube-corner materials. This is why their reflectivity is unimaginable. Most cities use this type of reflective street sign on their traffic signals. You can also use this type of highly reflective street sign for containment zone or barricade zone purposes. The visibility of this reflective sign is greater than the engineer-grade reflective street sign. These reflective signs are so effective that people can see them even from 1200 feet away. They are best for highways or other types of dangerous roads.
Diamond Grade Reflective Signs
This type of reflective street sign offers the best visibility. Even if people are as far as 1600 feet away, they can still see the diamond-grade reflective street signs. These street signs are extremely effective in areas where high visibility is essential, including interstate highways.
Conclusion
Now you know the relevant information regarding the reflective street signs, it’s time to make a purchase. Make sure you contact us if you’re looking for street signs.
