Fifty-three participants evaluated the visibility of four different pavement marking materials under a simulated rain system operating at 0.8 in (20 mm) of rain per hour at night while driving a vehicle on a closed test track. The conditions tested include a variable lighting condition, glare, pavement types and two different vehicle types. The evaluation consisted of determining the detection distance of a start or an end point of a white 4 in edgeline. The result showed that lighting improved visibility and provided mitigation for the effects of glare. The results also showed that the wet retroreflective tape provided the longest visibility distance followed by equivalent performance of profiled thermoplastic and large glass beads with standard paint providing the shortest visibility distance. The detection distance was compared to the retroreflective performance of the pavement marking technology. It was found that a log-linear relationship exists between the retroreflectivity and the detection distance. It was also found that the level of retroreflectivity provided by the materials tested did not provide adequate visibility distance for a sedan with a 2 s visibility time at speeds greater than 45 mph.
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