ST. PAUL, Minn. – February 2003 – It’s a fact: traffic accidents are three times more likely in wet, rainy conditions.* In such an environment it doesn’t take long for pavement markings to lose their brightness as surface water negates their reflectivity, making already difficult driving all the more challenging. The problem is particularly acute at night.
Now 3M has developed a revolutionary technology that keeps pavement markings bright, even on rain-sodden roadways. 3M™ Stamark™ Wet Reflective Tapes provide superior reflective performance, under wet or dry conditions, compared to traditional pavement markings. 3M wet reflective pavement marking tapes feature innovative optics for superior reflectivity, so the tapes are as bright in the rain as they are when dry.
Traditional “exposed lens” marking systems have reflective beads on top of the marking. Many of these may perform fine in dry weather, but when they get wet the water “drowns out” the optics, causing headlight illumination to scatter rather than reflect. The result is these pavement markings virtually disappear until the water drains or evaporates.
The reflective lenses in 3M wet reflective pavement marking tapes are encapsulated to ensure a high level of continuous reflective performance – wet or dry. 3M wet reflective tapes are designed for temporary applications in construction work zones, as well as durable applications.
(*) SOURCE: FHWA-RD-99-130, December 1996
