Pavement Marking Effectiveness and the Pavement Marking Handbook (0-4150-S)

Pavement markings provide one of the primary means of communicating information to road users. Unlike traffic signs and signals, pavement markings are continuous and provide road users with valuable information that helps them properly position the vehicle within the travel way. Pavement markings are different from signs in another way: pavement markings are typically manufactured at the location where they are applied instead of being manufactured in a factory and sent to the installation site. As a result, there is the opportunity for greater variability in the performance characteristics of pavement markings.