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Sign Enhancement Program

Safety Concerns


 
3M products, services and expertise help traffic professionals address sign retroreflectivity upgrades and maintenance for positive guidance and traffic safety   Sign Enhancement Program Woman Driving

Congress funds sign enhancement and other low-cost solutions because of a serious national concern for roadway safety.

Our Population of Drivers is Aging

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U.S. Census Bureau projects that by 2020 the number of drivers over 65 will double to 50 million—nearly one in five drivers. Nearly half of those older drivers will be over 75. Safer roadways must accommodate this different kind of driver.

  • Aging produces a natural decline in sensory, cognitive and motor (physical) functioning1


    • Reduced eyesight (visual acuity) and increased glare sensitivity requiring more contrast and luminance for sign use at night
    • Reduced hearing, flexibility and mobility
    • Longer (slower) reaction times
  • Older drivers are more fragile and more often involved in crashes per capita, contributing to higher fatalities2
  • Rate of deaths per crash is nearly triple the rate of drivers 39 – 59³
  • National safety efforts fatality rates for older persons lag behind national safety efforts over the past two decades3
SAFETEA-LU through HSIP provides more than one billion dollars per year to improve roadway safety.

driver fatality chart

Traffic Fatalities are Rising

  • Over the last two decades, fatality rates for older persons lag behind national safety efforts3
  • Fatality crash rates are three times higher at night than during the day4 and are increasing faster

Tort Liability Exposure is Increasing

  • Awards increased an average of 16% annually since 19725
  • State and local transportation agencies are experiencing a dramatic increase in tort litigation involving claims for personal injury and property damage6

Useful Links

1 Schieber, Driver Eye Fixation and Reading Patterns while Using Highway Signs
2 Li, et al, Fragility versus excessive crash involvement
3 Safe Mobility for a Maturing Society
4 http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/tools/retro_trafficcontrol.htm
5 Transportation Research Record, Issue 1512
6 TR News, Issue 205

Contact a 3M representative directly or contact us for more information about 3M products, services and expert advice for the Sign Enhancement Program.
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