Introduction to Sign Retroreflectivity
What is Retroreflectivity?
Retroreflectivity is a term used to describe how light is reflected off of a surface and return to its original source (“retro”-reflector). Traffic sign sheeting materials now use technology with small glass beads or prismatic reflectors that allow light from vehicle headlights to be reflected by to the vehicle and the driver’s eyes, thus making the sign appear more bright and visible to the driver.
For retroreflectivity to work properly, there needs to be a light source (vehicle headlights), a target (traffic sign), and a receptor (driver’s eyes).