A PETITION FOR RETROREFLECTIVE STANDARDS IN MUTCD

The present Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) contains no minimum, initial or maintained retroreflective requirements for retroreflective traffic signs, pavement markings, or other traffic control devices. Faced with this situation, the Center for Auto Safety (CAS) duly petitioned the Federal Highway Administration to open rule-making on standards for retroreflective illumination. The petition makes four assertions which the CAS feels would make night driving easier and safer. These assertions relate to performance criteria for nighttime conspicuity, maintained illumination levels, retroreflective materials for illuminating signs and road markings, colors and their intensity in signs, standards for brightness and color. The petition comments on the basic parameters of driver behavior, particularly response time, and the need for a more realistic design driver. The questions proposed by FHWA relating to retroreflective standards in response to the petition are set-forth. Comments made on FHWA Docket 85-18 "Standards for Performance of Retroreflective Standards" are analyzed.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/0884612X
• Corporate Authors:

  TranSafety Incorporated

  2020 K Street, NW, Suite 350
  Washington, DC  United States  20006
• Publication Date: 1986-3

Media Info

• Pagination: p. 1-7
• Serial:
  • TRANSAFETY REPORTER
  • Volume: 4
  • Issue Number: 3
  • Publisher: TranSafety, Incorporated
  • ISSN: 0884-612X

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Behavior; Brightness; Color; Drivers; Emergency response time; Night visibility; Performance; Reaction time; Retroreflection; Retroreflectors; Road markings; Standards; Traffic control devices; Traffic signs; Visibility
• Identifier Terms: Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices; U.S. Federal Highway Administration
• Uncontrolled Terms: Criteria
• Old TRIS Terms: Retrodirective reflection; Traffic marking
• Subject Areas: Geotechnology; Highways; Law; Materials; Operations and Traffic Management; Safety and Human Factors; I73: Traffic Control;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00454822
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jul 31 1986 12:00AM