Understanding Road Studs in Traffic Safety
Feb 28, 2025
Traffic safety is to protect people's daily travel and life safety as a cornerstone. In the many facilities to ensure road safety, road studs seem small but play an important role. Whether it is on the long highway or in the busy city streets, road studs are silent and steadfast to enhance road safety and contribute to power. They have a unique way of guiding drivers in the dark or in bad weather conditions, warning them of potential hazards and greatly reducing the risk of traffic accidents. Next, let's take a closer look at road studs as a key traffic safety facility.
What Are Road Studs?
1. Definition and role
Road studs, small reflective devices installed on the road, have a core mission to significantly improve visibility in dark environments or poor weather conditions. They can frequently be seen on roads in the UK and around the world. Like the road “loyal guards,” road studs are for drivers to light up the road ahead.2. Passive road stud
Passive road studs mainly rely on the reflective properties of their surface to work. When the vehicle is traveling on the road, the headlights of the light irradiate the road stud, and the reflective surface of the road stud will reflect the light to the driver's line of sight, thus helping the driver to see the road more clearly. This kind of road stud is also known as a “cat's eye road stud.”. The origin of the name is very interesting. originating from the inventor Percy Shaw (Percy Shaw) in the dark to see the cat's eyes reflecting light, and was inspired by this invention and invented this type of road stud. A passive stud structure is relatively simple and low cost; all kinds of roads are widely used, and road traffic safety provides the basis of protection.3. Active road stud
The active stud is equipped with more advanced LED lights. It not only reflects light like passive road studs but also actively warns drivers of potential dangers through the bright light it emits. This kind of road stud has a built-in battery and is equipped with a solar charging device, solar panels during the day to absorb sunlight, and solar energy converted into electricity stored in the battery. At dusk, the road studs will automatically open, and LED lamps will emit bright light, illuminating the road and effectively enhancing safety. Active road studs in some important roads, dangerous areas, or places with high road visibility requirements play a vital role.Color classification of road studs and use
1. White road stud
White road studs on the road bear the instructions of the traffic lane line and the center of the lane of the important responsibility. Its excellent reflective properties, which can be used at night or in bad weather, clearly outline the outline of the lane and guide drivers along the designated path. On the multi-lane road, white road studs are an invisible “command line” to ensure that vehicles are traveling in an orderly manner to avoid traffic accidents caused by lane confusion.2. Red Road stud
In transportation, red has always symbolized danger and warning. Red road studs are precisely this visual psychology, used to indicate that drivers cannot cross the line. They are usually conspicuously set on the left edge of the lane, always reminding drivers to pay attention to the road boundaries, not arbitrarily deviate from the lane, and avoid entering the danger zone. Road traffic safety provides an important boundary warning.3. Yellow Road studs
Yellow pins are mainly used to indicate that the right side of the road cannot cross the line, especially in the multi-lane separation of the road; its role is particularly critical. It clearly defines the boundary between the right edge of the road and other areas (such as the center median), helps drivers accurately judge the direction of the road, and prevents traffic violations and accidents due to misjudgment.4. Green road stud
Green studs have a unique use and are mainly used to mark the edge lines that can be crossed, such as parking strips alongside roads. In addition, on the left side of a multi-lane divided roadway, green studs are used to demarcate the boundaries of acceleration or deceleration lanes. This enables drivers to follow the instructions of the green road studs when they need to stop, accelerate, or decelerate, which improves the safety and smoothness of road travel.Benefits of road studs and why they’re used?
1. Enhance the visibility of the road
Road studs are mostly made of reflective materials such as glass beads. In the rain, fog, snow, and other inclement weather, the light is dim, and the driver's line of sight is greatly impeded. At this time, road studs can efficiently reflect the vehicle's light to the driver's eyes, as in the darkness, light a bright light, greatly enhancing the visibility of the road. Take the United Kingdom as an example; its weather conditions are often poor, and road studs in such an environment become an important tool to ensure that drivers can see the road and drive safely.2. Guiding drivers
Road studs are usually installed at regular intervals. Even in poor visibility, drivers can judge the direction of the road through the light reflected from the distant road studs and thus keep driving on the right side of the road. The guiding role of the road studs is particularly important, especially on many narrow and winding roads in the UK. They effectively prevent the driver from seeing the road and deviating from the lane, reducing the probability of traffic accidents.3. Highlighting potential hazards
At the edge of the road, sharp bends, intersections, and road surface changes in the area (such as speed bumps; road construction is underway in the area), road studs play a key role in warning of potential hazards. For example, potholes at sharp bends remind drivers to slow down and drive with caution; potholes around construction zones warn drivers of the complex road conditions ahead and the need for caution. These studs provide drivers with valuable reaction time, enabling them to take timely measures such as slowing down and avoiding traffic to ensure driving safety.4. Auxiliary traffic flow management
Road studs also play an active role in traffic flow management. Through the reasonable setup of road studs, special bicycle or pedestrian lanes can be created to separate different types of traffic flows. This not only reduces conflicts between different traffic participants and reduces the risk of accidents but also enables drivers to understand the rules of the road more clearly in the process of driving, making it easier to find the route to their destination and improving the efficiency of the road.5. Environmental advantages
Road studs have significant advantages in environmental protection. It does not require an additional energy supply; only relying on the reflection of the vehicle's light can play a role. This means that it does not produce any carbon emissions in the course of its work and has no negative impact on the environment. At the same time, road studs are cost-effective, the installation process is relatively simple and fast, and they do not consume a lot of resources in the case of road traffic safety to provide reliable protection.Applications and Scenarios of Road stud
1. Highways and expressways
On the highway and expressway, reflective, cast iron, and solar road studs play an important role. They accurately mark the lanes, whether in the dark of night or in heavy rain, fog, and other adverse weather conditions, and can provide drivers with clear lane guidance. In the curves, the light of the road studs can guide the driver to turn smoothly; in the intersection, it helps drivers accurately determine the direction of travel, effectively reducing the risk of accidents, to protect the safety of the highway and smooth.2. City Roads
Reflective and plastic road studs are widely used on city roads. They delineate the lanes and enable vehicles to move in an orderly manner. At pedestrian crossings, road studs can remind drivers to pay attention to pedestrians and slow down. At intersections, road studs guide vehicles to follow the specified routes, avoiding traffic chaos and improving the efficiency and safety of urban roads.3. Rural Roads
Rural roads usually lack street lighting; solar energy and ceramic road studs are particularly important here. Solar road studs utilize the solar energy stored during the day to provide lighting for the road at night, improving the visibility of the road. Ceramic road studs are durable and can withstand all kinds of vehicles crushing on rural roads, guiding drivers in the dark and ensuring traffic safety on rural roads.4. Parking lot
In the parking lot, plastic and temporary studs are used to mark the parking spaces and make the parking of vehicles more standardized and orderly. At the same time, they also guide the traffic flow in the parking lot to avoid collision and congestion, improving the efficiency and safety of the parking lot.5. Construction area
In road construction areas, temporary and solar road studs play a key role in safety warnings. Temporary studs are used to mark the boundaries of construction zones and detour routes, reminding drivers to be aware of changes in the road and to slow down. Solarized studs illuminate the construction area at night or in low-light conditions to ensure the safety of construction workers and passing vehicles.6. Industrial area
Industrial areas with frequent vehicular traffic and often heavy vehicles traveling. Cast iron and reflective road studs can withstand the load of heavy vehicles and are not easily damaged due to their sturdy material. At the same time, their reflective properties can be in the complex environment of the industrial area, clearly guiding vehicles traveling to protect the traffic safety in the industrial area.7. Roundabouts and Intersections
Traffic circles and intersections have complex traffic conditions and vehicles traveling in various directions. Glass and ceramic road studs with their good reflective properties and solid texture enhance the visibility of the road in these areas, guiding drivers to accurately determine the direction of travel, avoiding vehicle collisions, and guaranteeing smooth and safe traffic in traffic circles and intersections.Notes for Installation of Road Stud
1. Avoid installing on a rough road surface.
A rough road surface will make the road stud in the installation of uneven pressure. When large vehicles crush road studs, due to the unevenness of the road surface, the different parts of the road studs force a large difference, making it easy to lead to road stud damage. For example, in some new roads without adequate leveling or due to long-term use and damaged road surface installation of road studs, road studs may soon appear to rupture, loosen, and have other problems and cannot properly play their role.2. Ensure that the installation site is clean.
The cleanliness of the installation site directly affects the installation of the stud firmness. If the installation site has a lot of dust, in the use of glue to fix the stud, the dust will adsorb the adhesive component of the glue so that the glue cannot give full play to the adhesive force. In this way, the connection between the road stud and the road surface will become unsound; the vibration and pressure of the vehicle driving process can easily lead to the road stud loosening or even falling off, seriously affecting road traffic safety.3. Control the amount of glue.
The amount of glue is crucial to the installation effect of the road stud. If too much glue is used, after the installation of the stud, the glue may overflow, affecting the reflective effect of the stud. Moreover, too much glue will make the adhesive force between the stud and the road surface unevenly distributed, reducing the solidity of the stud and shortening its service life. On the contrary, if the amount of glue is too little, the connection between the stud and the road surface is not tight; it is also easy to loosen and fall off.4. Apply glue evenly.
In the use of glue to fix the road studs, uniform application of glue is to ensure that the road studs of each part of the key to the balance of force. If the glue is not evenly spread, the stud in the vehicle will crush, and different parts of the pressure will not be consistent, making it easy to lead to the stud due to uneven force and damage. For example, the glue on one side of the road is too much, and the other side is too little. When the vehicle is crushed, the glue-less side may be the first to appear loose, which affects the stability of the whole road.5. Give the glue sufficient curing time.
Newly installed studs: The glue needs a certain amount of time to fully cure. Generally speaking, this time is about 6 - 8 hours. However, in practice, sometimes people will prematurely remove the installation of isolation facilities so that the stud in the glue is not yet fully cured by the vehicle crash or collision. In this way, the road studs will be easily deformed, loosened, or even dislodged, seriously affecting the quality of installation and road traffic safety. Therefore, it must be strictly by the specified time, waiting for the glue to be fully cured, and then lifting the isolation facilities to ensure that the road stud can be firmly fixed on the road surface.
