Marking the way

As South Africa readies itself for the increased traffic volumes that come with the December holidays, road safety has again been highlighted by various organisations.

Last month, the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) teamed up with the City of Johannesburg to host a road-markings event to increase safety and user experience on the city’s roads.

Road markings are important in maintaining the free-flow of traffic and safety of road users. Unclear road markings can cause driver uncertainty and increase the risk of a motor vehicle accident.

But, did you know that not just any paint can do the trick? Road-marking paints have been specially formulated for use on roads and need to be both visible and durable.

The paint products demonstrated at the event needed to comply with various requirements set out by the JRA. The road-marking paint features crystal glass beads with a strong capacity for absorbing, storing and emitting light. These can glow for more than twelve hours in the dark, thereby increasing safety for road users.

All the paints have to be non-toxic with no radioactive additives. At the same time, paints are required to be quick drying and suitable for direct application to all types of new or previously painted bituminous and concrete road surfaces.

Finally, the paint must produce a surface with anti-skid properties, thereby increasing safety when it is raining.

And now, you’ll probably never look at paint on the road the same way again…