The latest retro-reflective technology can more than triple the visibility of traffic signs.

It is why Manteca leaders have secured a $2.6 million grant from the Federal Highway Administration and Caltrans to change out older signs that do not conform to the state’s higher standards of visibility.
The City Council when they meet on Wednesday at 6 p.m. are being asked to allow staff to put the sign replacement project out to bid.

All traffic signs — stop signs, speed signs, warning signs, street signs, and such — that do not already meet the higher visibility standard will be replaced with ones that have a significantly higher retro-reflectively
The mandate by the Federal Highway Administration is based on the fact half of traffic fatalities occur at night even though only a quarter of all travel takes place at night.

 And while intoxication and fatigue contribute to the high rate of nighttime crashes, the federal government contends nighttime driving is inherently hazardous because of decreased driver visibility.

The newer sign material improves highway safety and prevents roadway departure crashes by bouncing light from vehicle headlights back toward the vehicle and the driver’s eye, making the signs appear brighter and easier to see and read. At the same time, older signs lose their reflectivity over time.

Federal research also shows they are more visible, to a degree, during the daytime as well as in fog.

Reflective sheeting makes traffic signs more visible with a thin flexible retroreflective material that increases both daytime visibility and nighttime brightness of signs.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com