The problem with low performing road signs
Road infrastructure should provide maximum driving comfort and safety by making the road visible and providing information guidance during day and night.
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Older drivers need more time and light to read signs and make decisions compared with other drivers, whilst truck drivers, spending many hours on the road, are sitting much higher above the headlights of their vehicle. This means that for the traffic sign to remain visible, the cone of reflected light has to be much wider.
The first retro-reflective sheeting on the market was based on glass beads with a reflective coating behind these beads. The resulting optics returned 6 to 8 % of the incident headlight towards the light source. But 75 years later technology has enabled this to be almost 10 times better. Since micro prismatic technology was born, reflective road safety signs have experienced continuous improvements. The use of tougher polymers also generates more durable and weather resistant retro-reflective films.
Three important characteristics for reflective road signs to consider
In addition to improved retro-reflectivity, 3M’s prismatic reflective sheeting materials offer a number of environmental benefits over glass beaded sheeting with a 97% reduction in volatile organic compounds, a 77% decrease in energy consumption and a 46% decrease in solid waste during the manufacturing process.
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Retroreflectivity3M offers you 3 different classes of high performing reflective sign sheeting for your permanent and temporary road sign applications.
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DurabilityWith 3M, you can count on long-lasting quality and performance. We offer up to 12 years of protection when using select 3M components and have multiple warranty tiers available for several classes of reflective sheeting and multiple imaging methods.
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VisibilityWith 3M reflective sheeting material you can provide best in class retroreflectivity with a long lasting durability that will provide peace of mind.
Improve your road safety with 3M reflective sign sheeting
Ready to make your roads and highways safer?
Choose the reflective sign sheeting product that fits your needs
The optical efficiency of 3M's sheeting products provide brightness and visibility by returning more light to drivers in a range of vehicle types.
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3M™ Diamond Grade™ DG³ Reflective Sign Sheeting Series 4090/4080
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With nearly twice the reflectivity of 3M lower-grade signage material, 3M Diamond Grade sheeting helps create more visible signs, and more visible signs have been shown to cut night time accidents by up to 46%.¹
Achieve superb reflectivity at short and long distances with 3M full cube technology. This top-of-the-line reflective road sign sheeting is recommended for signs positioned inside and outside of primary headlight illumination.
- Increased reactivity time for drivers
- Can help reduce lighting costs
- Long-lasting and less maintenance cost
- Broad observation angles
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Other reflective road sign sheeting products
Beyond Diamond Grade DG³, 3M offers other reflective road sign sheeting products to help you keep your roads and highways as safe as possible.
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Provides long-term reflectivity and durability with an improved optical package to increase nighttime safety. Its unique prismatic construction provides a high level of retroreflectivity for multiple traffic control situations.
- Meets EN 12899-1:2007 Class RA2 regulations
- More environmentally friendly manufacturing process when compared to glass beaded sheeting manufacture
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A non-metalised micro-prismatic lens reflective sheeting designed for production of non-critical traffic signs (such as no-parking, disabled or restricted-parking) and commercial signage that's exposed vertically in service.
- Meets EN 12899-1:2007 Class RA1 regulations
- Better daytime and nighttime brightness than glass beaded enclosed lens Engineer Grade
"... the cost increase to specify higher-efficiency retroreflective material can be reasonably expected to pay off by reducing crashes under some scenarios."
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Digital road sign printing
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There are many advantages to digital road safety sign printing. Not only does it offer you quick on-demand printing for custom signs and enhanced workflow, but when you use 3M products, you will be backed by our 3M™ MCS™ Warranty.
Want to learn more about the advantages of digital printing?
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Frequently asked questions about reflective sheeting for traffic signs
Find answers to some of our frequently asked questions about reflective road signs.
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What is Diamond Grade Cube reflective sheeting?
Diamond Grade reflective sheeting (DG³) meets Class RA3 and R3B of DIN 67520 and Class R3C-UK of UK National Annex to EN 12899-1. This highly reflective sheeting uses 100% efficient full-cube prismatic technology that reflects, almost twice the amount of light back to its source as High Intensity Prismatic sheeting.
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What is High Intensity Prismatic Sheeting?
This prismatic sheeting is commonly made using truncated cube corner technology. It reflects more light than glass-bead technology found in some engineer grade sheeting. It provides an intermediate retroreflection and performs best at best at short distances.
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Why upgrade to 3M™ Diamond Grade™ DG³ Sheeting?
Of the three technologies used on roadways today, only full cube microprismatic sheeting is the most efficient. The full cube technology in 3M™ Diamond Grade™ DG³ Reflective Sheeting make signage brighter and visible at greater distances. This gives drivers of all vehicle types more time to react.
Downloadable resources for 3M reflective road markings
Want to talk to a 3M expert for more information?
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References
- Ripley, D.A, Howard R. Green Company, ITE AB04H313, Quantifying the Safety Benefits of Traffic Control Devices - Benefit-Cost Analysis of Traffic Sign Upgrades, 2005 Mid-Continent Transportation Research Symposium Proceedings.
