Study Finds Reflective Tape Saves Lives

Reflective tape on trucks will prevent between 191-350 highway deaths and 7,800 crashes each year, according to a study by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The study also estimates that once the industry puts reflective tape on all heavy trailers, the number of injuries will drop by between 3,100 and 5,000 annually.

NHTSA conducted the study to evaluate the effectiveness of a 1992 rule requiring all trailers built after Dec. 1, 1993 to be equipped with reflective tape.

In 1999, the Federal Highway Administration expanded the rule by requiring truckers to apply reflective tape to trailers built before December 1993 by June 1, 2001.

The report said reflective tape reduced side and rear impact in dark conditions by 29%. The tape also reduced by 41% side and rear impact crashes that resulted in injuries and fatalities, the NHTSA report concluded.

State police departments in Florida and Pennsylvania collected data for the NHTSA study between 1997 and 1999. Together, the two law enforcement agencies amassed information on 10,959 crash cases involving heavy trailers.

“Better visibility means fewer crashes, and fewer crashes translate into injuries prevented and lives saved,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta.

(Click here for the full press release.)