How Brighter Traffic Signs Reduce Accidents

According to the Federal Highway Administration, approximately 42,000 people have been killed on U.S. roads each year for the last eight years. Even though only a quarter of travel occurs at night, about half of the traffic fatalities occur during nighttime hours. It is reasonable to assume that visible traffic signs could create safer driving conditions.

Maintaining traffic sign retroreflectivity can help ensure that signs are always easily visible and recognizable on roads. This is why the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) established a new standard that now requires that all agencies adopt a sign maintenance program. By adopting a maintenance program, agencies will be able to meet new minimum retroreflectivity requirements for traffic signs they’ve already installed.

Traffic Sign Compliance

Since traffic signs are required to fulfill the roles of communicating regulatory, warning and guidance information at all times, MUTCD has developed a compliance plan to ensure retroreflectivity maintenance.

• By January 2012, all agencies will have to establish and implement a sign maintenance program that addresses the minimum sign retroreflectivity requirements.
• By January 2015, all agencies must comply with the new retroreflectivity requirements for most of their traffic signs installed. This includes all red and white or white and black regulatory signs, yellow and black warning signs, and ground-mounted green and white guide signs (excluding street name signs).
• By January 2018, all agencies must comply with the new retroreflectivity requirements for overhead guide signs and all street name signs.

To maintain minimum retroreflectivity requirements, one or more of the following assessment or management methods must be used.

• Nighttime Visual Inspection – The retroreflectivity of an existing traffic sign is assessed by a trained sign inspector. The inspector conducts a visual inspection from a moving vehicle during nighttime conditions.
• Measured Sign Retroreflectivity – Traffic safety signs are measured with an instrument for retroreflectivity.
• Expected Sign Life – Signs are replaced based on age, warranty or degradation of sign sheeting.
• Blanket Replacement – Traffic signs are replaced at specified intervals based on the shortest life of material used.
• Control Signs – Replacement of traffic safety signs in the field is based on the performance of a sample set of control signs.

Proper retroreflectivity of your traffic safety signs can greatly reduce the probability of accidents occurring. Maintaining your traffic signs by following the MUTCD guidelines for retroreflectivity keeps people safe and ensures that your traffic signs are always visible.


A traffic sign is designed to provide safety information to road users. Find out how to maintain traffic signs in order to reduce accidents and keep people safe.