Research & Benefits of Vehicle Safety Markings

Why apply vehicle safety markings in accordance to regulation ECE104?

• To help reduce accidents and save lives
• Improve safety and increase visibility of vehicles
• Employee satisfaction that the company is proactive about safety
• Reduced accidents means less downtime and decreased repair costs
• Improve corporate image through being more proactive about safety
• Help protect your company against potential legal action related to third party safety
• To meet the regulatory requirements under ECE104.

The difference is clear…

Customer Feedback

“Health and Safety issues are very important to us and the safety of our employees is a priority. Using 3M reflective markings on the back of our fleet of vehicles ensures high visibility at all times and protects our employees and customers.”
Richard Warneford, Distribution Manager - Northumbrian Water

“3M reflective markings certainly help with road safety. They are well worth the investment when you think of the potential savings to human life that the increased visibility of the vehicle could result in.

The benefits of 3M reflective markings really come to the fore in poor visibility conditions and at night where the vehicle's visibility is improved dramatically. All our new vehicles have the red box applied to the rear and the yellow stripe to the side"
Dave Parkes, National Fleet Engineer - Walkers Snacks Ltd

Who could benefit from vehicle safety markings?

• Any large or slow moving vehicle that travels at night or in poor visibility conditions such as fog or heavy rain
• Vehicles that regularly stop on the roadside
• Vehicles carrying valuable goods, livestock or toxic substances which need to be particularly safety conscious.

Vehicle conspicuity is destined to increasingly figure in vehicle safety and the efficient running of all kinds of business and organisations. By simply applying 3M™ Diamond Grade™ vehicle marking film to an unmarked vehicle, you will not only be actively contributing to saving lives on our roads, but helping to reduce your own operating costs.

Research and the facts

• In 2005 heavy goods vehicles represented about 1.3% of the vehicles on UK roads yet they resulted in 16% of fatal casualties caused by two vehicle accidents (DfT: ‘Impact assessment of The Road Vehicle Lighting regulations amendment covering conspicuity markings on good vehicles’ 2008). 
• Studies and field tests conducted over a 10 year period show that well marked trucks are 30 times less likely to be involved in a road traffic accident, compared with unmarked ones (Technical University of Darmstadt, Germany, 2004).
• Other drivers are able to notice marked trucks 5 to 8 times faster, allowing for considerably longer reaction time (Ludwig Boltzman Institute, Vienna, Austria, 2002).
• In “dark-not-lighted” conditions, the tape reduced side and rear impact crashes by 41% (“The Effectiveness of Retro reflective Tape on Heavy Trailers”: NHSA, US 2001).
• The University of Darmstadt found that 37% of all side collisions with trucks at night occurred because they were seen too late. The study also estimated that, across the EU, 95% of all side and rear collisions with HGV’s at night could be avoided with the use of retro-reflective truck markings.
• The conclusions show that retroreflective contour markings do improve road safety as, with them, the number of accidents and potential incidents affecting road safety are drastically reduced. (University of Darmstadt: ‘Retroreflective Marking of Vehicles’: 2001.)

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