Conspicuity tape, known for enhancing the visibility of vehicles, has been extensively studied for its safety benefits. These studies, conducted globally, have established the substantial impact that reflective tape can have in reducing accidents, particularly during low-light conditions. 1983 Vector Study Conducted over two years with 2,000 trucks (half marked, half unmarked), this study showed:…
This article consists of a collection of frequently asked questions about all the different types of reflective tapes. If you have a question to add, please email me at steve@reflectivestore.com . How does reflective tape reflect? Reflective tapes reflect light back to the source by receiving light, bending light, and bouncing it back to the…
Our company, Reflective Inc., stocks a large variety of reflective tapes and sheeting. This includes adhesive reflective tapes, sew on, and heat applied. The article below lists every tape that we carry in house and gives a brief summary of what each is used for as well as its characteristics. For most of our tapes,…
“Retro Reflective Tape” is defined as a thin white or colored film (aka sheeting) that reflects light back to the source of the light using either glass spheres or man made prisms. The film normally adheres to a surface using a self-adhesive peel and stick backing. However, for garments and fabrics, they would have a…
Reflective tape and sheeting have been making the night time a safer place for over 80 years. During that time, reflective tapes in their various forms have saved countless lives by improving visibility both day and night. Before discussing how retro reflective tape works, it is important to make a distinction between a simple “reflective”…
The need for Retro Reflective Devices that could be seen when struck by light at night came about from the introduction of the car into the modern world. From the beginning, automobiles came with lights. However, simply having lights on a dark road was not nearly enough to assure personal safety and prevent serious accidents….
The Invention (History) of Reflective Signs In the beginning of automobiles on roads and traffic, signs were painted in different contrasting colors, but with no reflective qualities whatsoever. So often they were invisible at night when they needed to be seen the most. The issue was that there was no known way to make the…
One question that we have a lot of customers ask is, what is the brightest reflective tape? This is a common question, since often people associate the brightest tape with the best tape. But the fact is, the brightest tape is not always the best for an application. There are other characteristics of reflective films,…
If you can see an object, it is technically reflective since it is bouncing light to your eyes. For a surface to be reflective, it simply has to throw or bounce back light from its surface without absorbing all of it. Most objects use scattered or diffused reflectivity where light is scattered everywhere. A mirror…
What Sets Prismatic Reflective Tape Apart from Glass Bead Tapes? Glass bead tapes and prismatic tapes are the 2 types of reflective tape available on the market today. The first reflective tapes used glass bead technology and were invented by 3m in the 30’s. Then Reflexite invented micro prismatic tape in the 1960s. It is interesting that even…