The Safety Impact of High-Visibility Signs

Each year, more than 1.35 million people lose their lives in road traffic accidents around the world. While speed, distraction, and poor infrastructure are often cited, one critical and sometimes overlooked intervention is signage.

For manufacturers of traffic and safety signage, visibility isn’t just a design requirement; it’s a public safety imperative. A study from the state of California, USA, shows that improving the visibility, specifically with reflective materials, of traffic signage can significantly reduce crash rates, by as much as 25% to 46%. These aren’t marginal gains; they are measurable reductions in harm. For signage producers responsible for building and installing these critical pieces of infrastructure, this underlines the importance of material choice, production quality, and long-term performance in the field.

High-visibility signs do more than convey rules and guidance, they increase reaction time, reduce uncertainty, and prevent collisions. That’s why the effectiveness of a sign depends not only on placement but on how well it performs in all conditions: day, night, wet weather, glare, and beyond. And this performance starts with retroreflective sheeting.

Not all retroreflective materials offer the same durability, brightness, or weather resistance. Differences in microprismatic vs. glass bead technology, adhesive strength, and UV resistance can all influence long-term sign performance in real-world conditions. For manufacturers, understanding these variables is essential to ensuring that signage delivers consistent retroreflectivity across the full-service life.

The reflectivity of a sign must comply with AS/NZS 1906.1:2017 from the moment it’s installed, with measured retroreflectivity and colour performance that meet minimum luminance coefficients across traffic colours. These standards are designed not only for initial compliance but for visibility retention over time—even under harsh UV exposure and variable weather conditions. Long-term performance is not a given; it must be designed and manufactured into the sign from the outset.

The 3M MCS Warranty for Traffic Signage provides signage producers with a matched-component system—including sheeting, inks, and overlays—engineered for long-term durability. Backed by up to 12 years of warranted performance, the system guarantees traffic colour retention within regulatory tolerances and minimum retroreflective values as defined in AS/ NZS 1906.1:2017. This level of certainty supports production planning, reduces risk of compliance failure, and helps producers deliver reliable, specification-ready signage for every project.

The role of a signage manufacturer isn’t to be visible, but rather to ensure that every sign they manufacture is. No one notices a good sign; until it saves a life.