Introduction: Why are rain-reflective road markings so important?
When driving on rainy days or at night, visibility is greatly reduced. Ordinary road markings may be difficult to identify due to rain cover or insufficient light, which can easily lead to traffic accidents. Rain-reflective road markings use special materials and structural designs to ensure that they can still provide clear road guidance in bad weather. This article will introduce in detail the classification of common rain-reflective road markings and their working principles to help everyone understand how these “invisible guardians” can improve driving safety.
1. Ordinary reflective road markings vs. rain-reflective road markings
(1) Ordinary reflective road markings
Rely on glass beads to reflect headlights, but on rainy days, water film will cover the markings, resulting in a significant decrease in reflective effect.
Suitable for dry weather and urban roads, but limited effect on heavy rain or slippery roads at night.
(2) Rain-reflective road markings
Use special structures or materials to ensure that rain cannot completely cover the reflective surface.
Even in heavy rain, it can still maintain high reflective performance, greatly improving the safety of driving in rainy nights.
2. Common classification of reflective signs in rainy nights
(1) Raised Pavement Markers (RPMs)
Features: Raised on the road surface, will not be completely submerged by rain, ensuring that the reflective surface is exposed.
Material: Ceramic, metal or high-strength plastic, embedded with high-refractive index glass beads or micro-prismatic reflective sheets.
Applicable scenarios: Highway lane dividers, curves, tunnels and other high-risk sections.
Advantages: Pressure resistance, wear resistance, strong reflective performance, excellent effect in rainy nights.
Raised Pavement Markers
(2) Wet-Reflective Paint
Features: Special resins and glass beads are added to the paint to form a slightly rough surface, so that rainwater cannot form a continuous water film.
Reflective principle:
Ordinary road markings: The reflectivity drops by more than 80% after being covered by a water film.
Reflective coating for rainy nights: The concave and convex structure of the surface prevents water droplets from completely attaching, maintaining a reflectivity of more than 60%.
Applicable scenarios: urban roads, bridges, intersections, etc.
(3) Inlaid Tape Markings
Features: Prefabricated reflective tape, embedded in the road surface, the surface is flush with or slightly higher than the road, reducing the impact of water accumulation.
Material: Polyurethane or epoxy resin substrate, the surface is covered with a high-refractive index glass bead or micro-prism reflective layer.
Advantages: Fast construction, long life (5-8 years), stable reflective effect on rainy nights.
(4) Solar/LED Active Markings
Features: Combined with solar energy or induction LED lights, the brightness is automatically enhanced on rainy nights.
Applicable scenarios: highways, mountain bends, accident-prone sections.
Future trend: Brightness can be adjusted online and even linked with the autonomous driving system.
Intelligent luminous signs
3. Core technologies of reflective signs at rainy nights
(1) Microprismatic Reflection
Compared with traditional glass bead reflectors, microprismatic structures can reflect light more efficiently and maintain high visibility even in rain.
(2) Hydrophobic Coating
Some high-end reflective signs at rainy nights use hydrophobic materials to prevent rain from adhering and ensure that the reflective surface is always exposed.
(3) Highly compressive and wear-resistant materials
Due to long-term vehicle crushing, reflective signs at rainy nights must have both high reflectivity and durability to avoid frequent replacement.
4. Which sections of roads are most in need of reflective signs at rainy nights?
Highway curves and ramps: high speeds, easy to slip in rainy days, and need to strengthen guidance.
Tunnel entrances/exits: sudden changes in light, extremely low visibility in rainy and foggy weather.
School and hospital areas: many pedestrians, need to ensure that drivers can clearly identify the markings.
Mountainous areas & roads near water: fog is prone to occur, and the road outline needs to be clearly marked.
5. Future development direction
Self-cleaning reflective markings: use nano-coatings to automatically remove rain and dirt.
Dynamic color-changing markings: automatically adjust the color according to the weather (such as turning red to warn when ice forms).
Combined with vehicle-to-everything (V2X): send road marking data to smart cars to improve the safety of autonomous driving.