Cat's eyes on the road demonstrate a simple yet genius level of engineering and this is why

It’s a small yet effective piece of the larger road safety puzzle that you may never have noticed, but road reflectors, or cat’s eyes, on the road have saved lives and demonstrate a simple yet genius level of engineering.

Millions of drivers take to the roads every day and see the usual safety measures that we’re accustomed to.

Road signs, white lane separators, and painted yield lines, all of these tiny inventions have resulted in streets being as safe as possible.

But one ingenious and unnoticed piece of engineering comes courtesy of cat’s eyes on the road – and no, we’re not talking about the emerald green of the furline friends.

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This genius piece of road safety keeps drivers alert

Nowadays, different authorities around the world have taken to new methods to keep traffic flowing safely.

Whether it’s illuminous road paint or perplexing zig-zag markings, different countries have all found ways of ensuring certain parts of our roads have been made as safe as possible.

But one universal invention is the cat’s eyes, aka road reflectors.

Highlighted on YouTube by Mike Fernie, they were made in the UK way back in the 1930s by Percy Shaw, and now the tiny street bumps line nearly every highway in the world.

Motivated by the reflections of actual furline eyes in the line of limelight of car headlamps, the cat’s eyes on the road feature two reflective and LED-powered lights that indicate lane changes and slip roads.

But most notably, the little bumps that have been concreted into the road serve as a welcome reminder for anyone crossing lines.

While it flies under the radar, this wake-up call, especially in dense clusters near the hard shoulder, keeps drivers focused on the road and serves as a timely reminder that you might be veering off-course and towards a barrier.

How cat’s eyes on the road rule Las Vegas and singing highways

Like-minded devices have now been deployed around the world to organise traffic in areas where white paint simply evaporates.

The cat’s eyes directly influenced Bott’s Dots, which line the streets of Las Vegas, as an alternative to painted lines that need updating every year.

With the same reflective manner, they separate traffic lines with a bumpy vibration and are intended to last for decades.

The cat’s eyes on the road over in Hungary have inspired musical songs for drivers to groove to, as the alerting vibrations have encouraged the addition of precisely spaced grooves in the asphalt to vibrate to well-known tunes like Route 67 by rock legend László Balázsovits.

While they might be one of the smallest inventions on the roads, it’s undeniable that the 1930s invention has proven pivotal in saving lives.

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