The Effectiveness of Retroreflective Tape on Heavy Trailers

By Christina Morgan - Download Here

• "When all heavy trailers have conspicuity tape, the tape will be saving an estimated 191 to 350 lives per year, preventing approximately 3,100 to 5,000 injuries per year, and preventing approximately 7,800 crashes per year, relative to a hypothetical fleet in which none of the trailers have the tape."

• "The principal conclusion of the study is that retroreflective tape is quite effective, and it significantly reduces side and rear impacts into heavy trailers in the dark."

• "The tape is especially effective in preventing the more severe crashes, specifically, injury crashes. Impacts resulting in fatal or nonfatal injuries to at least one driver are reduced by 44 percent."

• "In dark conditions (combining the subsets of 'dark-not-lighted,' 'dark-lighted,' 'dawn,' and 'dusk'), the tape reduces side and rear impacts into heavy trailers by 29 percent."

• "However, the tape is by far the most effective in dark-not-lighted conditions. Here, the tape reduces side and rear impacts into heavy trailers by 41 percent."