BS 8408 Specification Selector Toolkit
How much luminance a sign delivers to the driver will vary according to where the sign is used along with factors such as entrance angle, height, size and placement of the sign relative to the road. The brightness of the surrounding environment will also have an impact on how easily a driver perceives the sign. Learn more about these variables by clicking on the relevant PDF's in the table below.
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Introduction (PDF 116 KB)
It’s vital that road traffic signs are bright enough to ensure that a significant proportion of drivers can see and react to them safely. The new British Standard for Microprismatic Sheeting (BS 8408:2005) is ground-breaking in the sense that it is one of the first to be written from the perspective of the driver, rather than how the products perform as they leave the factory.
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Ambient lighting (PDF 61 KB)
Bright lighting reduces the contrast between traffic signs and their immediate surround, which can make signs less obvious to drivers. A higher luminance requirement is available in the standard for specifiers to use when signs are to be located within 50 metres of an area of street lighting.
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Entrance Angularity (PDF 81 KB)
Entrance angle is the angle of the sign relative to the vehicle when the sign is viewed by the driver. BS 8408:2005 uses three entrance angularity classes to describe signs on the road.
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Sign Brightness (PDF 79 KB)
At night only retroreflected light from vehicle headlamps creates luminance for the people in that car – luminance will vary and signs may or may not be bright enough. Luminance is the best measure available to judge relative sign brightness. BS 8408:2005 allows specifiers to directly compare sign brightness provided by different retroreflective materials.
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Sign Position (PDF 100 KB)
The position of a traffic sign significantly affects the amount of illumination it receives from approaching vehicles. Traffic signs are found in four typical sign positions along a road network.
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Vehicle Type (PDF 96 KB)
Signs are less bright at night for truck drivers than for car drivers. The retroreflective material on traffic signs can make a big difference to how well that sign "works" for truck drivers.
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Viewing Distance (PDF 75 KB)
Drivers must be able to read the legends on signs and have time to use that information safely. This requires that the sign is within the divers' viewing distance for a long enough period to be read.
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Scenario Form (PDF 51 KB)
As seen at the IHIE conference!
Print this form and fax back to 01344857970 to receive your personalised solution.
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Taking all these factors into account, BS 8408 provides a way to rate how well a microprismatic sheeting satisfies the needs of drivers for many frequently occurring situations.
Using this rating system, road authorities can specify microprismatic sheeting with confidence. Please fill in the Scenario Form and fax it back to the number detailed to receive your personalised solution.
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